Yes, Ani DiFranco, icon of the ‘90s wave of folk-rock singer-songwriters, still performs live, and even though her audience is older, fewer in number and noticeably more demure, they’re as dedicated as ever. Even in a place like Traverse City, Michigan’s City Opera House, a venue so small you can feel the floorboards vibrate when someone taps their toe seven …

[xrr rating=3.5/5]At this stage in her career, Ani DiFranco is difficult to write about critically. Not just a legacy artist, she’s a veritable institution, cult royalty in the independent music realm. As such, separating her music from her figurehead status is problematic, and maybe even futile due to the personal nature of her work. Additionally, when a songwriter’s albums number …

[xrr rating=2.0/5]Appropriately, there’s no better place to start when trying to discern where Ani Difranco currently stands artistically than the title cut to her latest album, ¿Which Side Are You On?. A reworking of the old protest song written by Florence Reece and strummed out by every folk singer worth his or her salt ever since, the track bobs along …