Ani DiFranco - Canon

Ani DiFranco is probably one of the most beloved artists to never have a number one song or a platinum selling CD. Considering she's seen as a musical revolutionary, ground-breaking instrumentalist and the closest thing to "our generation's Dylan" as possible, it's notable that none of the songs on her greatest hits CD Canon ever went gold.

In fact, considering Ms. DiFranco's reputation, the fact that all her best songs go mostly un-played on commercial radio is not only nothing new, it's almost laughable to mention. DiFranco has built her career on the fact that people love her songs, period. It's hard to tell what the screening process was for which songs wound up on Canon—if it was the artist's choice, or audience reactions to the tunes had the most influence—but that doesn't really matter, either.

The bottom line is that Canon is DiFranco's best effort to date. The handful of songs that have been re-arranged for her new band (Allison Miller on drums, Todd Sickafoose on bass) are exquisitely well-performed, and purposefully presented. Most shining among them is "Overlap," whose new flavor is easily augmented by the jazz skills of the new band, but also realized in the vocal performance—considerably more expressive in its new environment than the original.

"Your Next Bold Move" starts with thick layers of voices before clearing away for the verses. Miller's driving rhythm is like a misshapen wheel turning, and is complemented by what's either rhythmic breathing or a dulled cymbal. The vocal layers return after the chorus for a moment of smooth sailing before the verse takes back the stuttering rhythm. It's typical DiFranco-arranged melody-and-rhythm play, and works rather well in this tune. In fact, this is where the full poet shows off her skills, building a whole song from rhythm, melody, lyrics and mood, as opposed to just backing up her voice with some instrumental breaks.

As for the tried-and-true tunes, there are dozens of them. Thankfully, DiFranco cleared up the hissing esses that make her first couple of discs a little hard on the ears after a while. "Fire Door" is a natural choice for this collection, as is "Both Hands" (rearranged on electric guitar which was jarring at first, but it really works and thrives the further into the song you go).

In case anyone forgot about DiFranco's ability to make up for the presence of an entire band by just working her instrument, the re-arrangement of "Shameless" shows up on this CD as proof. It takes until the part where the drum solo usually comes in to realize she's alone on this version. Alternating between well-distorted electric and percussively-picked acoustic tracks, guitar is all this song really needs.

It's hard to comment on the rest of the songs, as they've all been commented on before. It's nice to see some of her more obscure songs on here, like "Here for Now," "Hello Birmingham" and "Rain Check," the latter of which contains some of DiFranco's best heartbreak lyrics. Particularly, the inclusion of the instrumental shorts "This Box Contains" and "Prison Prism" from Revelling / Reckoning, is notable, as these two understated pieces shift the focus for a short time away from the lyrical prominence of so many of DiFranco's compositions.

In all, this disc delivers on all fronts. Listeners just discovering the breadth of DiFranco's skill will appreciate the versatility of her craft. Long-time fans will appreciate the narrative arc that follows the progression of Ani's skills, shifting band personnel and the lives of the songs themselves. The die-hards who already own every record she's ever made will delight in the innovation of the re-recorded tunes. And at the end of the day, DiFranco and her record company can enjoy the wealth of art they've put into the world in the last almost-20 years. Let's hope it doesn't stop here.