Since 1990, Ani DiFranco has released eighteen albums, so whittling that back catalogue down to just thirty six tracks for this career retrospective must have been no simple task. The temptation to just give in and pick at random has been resisted fully and this two disc compilation does indeed feature the very best of DiFranco’s work – she has even gone so far as to record new versions of five tracks (Napoleon, Shameless, Your Next Bold Move, Both Hands and Overlap).

What Canon highlights is that, despite her proliferation, DiFranco’s high standard of songwriting has never wavered over the last seventeen years. Also, by regularly changing her recording set up, she has managed to constantly vary her sound, whilst still keeping her distinctive percussive acoustic guitar playing and half-spoken vocal style at the forefront.

That she is able to be so creative with her music is largely down to the decision to set up her own record label at the age of eighteen. This has meant she’s never had to decide if she plays folk or alternative rock, never had to justify her the strong political opinions or the bold autobiographical lyrics that are prominent throughout her work. It’s this creative freedom that has made her such an engaging and influential artist.

Whether you’re a fan or a newcomer, Canon is the perfect way to get to grips with DiFranco’s otherwise daunting back catalogue.

Label: Righteous Babe
Website: www.righteousbabe.com/ani
Release date: 1st October 2007

Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. Fire Door
2. God’s Country
3. You Had Time
4. Buildings And Bridges
5. Coming Up
6. Cradle & All
7. Shy
8. 32 Flavors
9. Dilate
10. Distracted
11. Gravel
12. Untouchable Face
13. Joyful Girl
14. Little Plastic Castle
15. Fuel
16. As Is
17. Napoleon
18. Shameless

Disc 2

1. Hello Birmingham
2. This Box Contains
3. Grey
4. Prison Prism
5. Marrow
6. Here For Now
7. Subdivision
8. Rain Check
9. Swim
10. Paradigm
11. Manhole
12. Studying Stones
13. Hypnotized
14. 78% H2O
15. Millennium Theater
16. Your Next Bold Move
17. Both Hands
18. Overlap