Canon
Ani DiFranco is a force of nature. For two decades she has shuttled herself throughout the world on her own dime, remaining independent and releasing her albums on her own label, booking her own shows and never losing touch with her musical quest or her fans. Her personal vision of folk music has remained poignant while political, funky in spots, but often softer and more reflective than her spunky image might suggest (try the haunting “You Had Time” for starters). This 36-track retrospective of the Buffalo, NY singer-songwriter is a well-chosen overview that explores the different styles she’s packed into her narrative frame, 1993-2007. Five new versions of old favorites — \"Napoleon,\" \"Shameless,\" \"Your Next Bold Move,\" \"Both Hands,\" and \"Overlap\" — allow listeners to hear how she’s evolved over the years. “Untouchable Face, “ “Marrow,” “Manhole,” “Joyful Girl”…the list of indispensable tracks is long and arbitrary. Every DiFranco fan would roll the dice differently for sure. But *Canon* does a fine job distilling her prolific career to its essence.
The release of this career-spanning two CD retrospective from the noted American feminist, activist, and sexually ambiguous singer-songwriter is timed to coincide with an October visit to these shores. She’s been releasing an album a year since 1990, and…
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Naturally, the proper cataloguing of the key posts along the way that appears here on Canon is not your average greatest hits collection.