Ani DiFranco: Canon

Ani DiFranco's "Canon" is well worth your investment. This double album is full of her very best songs, including new versions of old favorites.

DiFranco's career really began in 1990, when she recorded her first studio album under her own label, Righteous Babe Records. Since then, she's managed to produce an average of one album per year, without sacrificing quality. What began as a "girl and her guitar" blend of folk and rock eventually evolved into a girl and her band, with brass thrown. DiFranco eventually returned to the simpler things, which has resulted in some pretty good new stuff.

"Canon" is an excellent introduction for new DiFranco fans. You will get two full CDs of music that spans her entire recording career, including:

* The subtle, acoustic "Both Hands" from her first album
* "Distracted" - a fun piece of dialogue recorded during one of her concerts
* The brass-and-guitar driven "Little Plastic Castle."

Those are just a few of the best tracks. You also get vital cuts like "32 Flavors," "Subdivision" and "Dilate."

All of the aforementioned tracks are taken from her earlier recordings: if you already own those, you won't get anything new.

However: new versions appear at the end of both discs. They are well worth the investment because they're different, but easily recognizable. "Both Hands" for example, is driven by DiFranco's electric guitar in this version.

Overall, it's worth the money. Pick up a copy through DiFranco's Web site - and while you're there, check out the other artists on the record label. Most of them are worth a listen too.