So Much Shouting So Much Laugh

Girls Singing Night:
Comes a Time - 5/10 Skip it. No point in having it on the album
Ain't That the Way - 8/10 I don't like this song, but this is a good rendition of it anyways. She sounds very good on it, but the lyrics are her worst ever.
Dilate - 9/10 So much better without the disruption you hear on Render. It sounds good with the full band as well.
Gratitude - 10/10 A highlight to hear an old Ani classic
Rock Paper Scissors - 6/10 Another boring song from Revelling/Reckoning
32 Flavors - 9/10 I actually prefer this version from Living in Clip because it's fuller and less boring. Some may disagree, but I mark it as a highlight on Girls Singing Night
Loom/Pulse - 9/10 I love this version. The tempo is sped up and it is very enjoyable
Not a Pretty Girl - 10/10 Perfect. Amazing. The best version I've heard live. She totally rearranges the song, and it benefits it greatly here.
Self Evident - 10/10 Here we go. One of the best poems I have ever heard. I was lucky to hear it live, but the band adds so much depth to the song. We hold these truths to be self evident: number 1 - George W. Bush is not president.
Reckoning - 7/10 It's ok. I like it better than Revelling
My IQ - 10/10 Awesome with the band. Awesome
Jukebox - 10/10 Her vocals are amazing and the arrangement is really good. A song you can have fun with while listening.
You Had Time - 9/10 A good way to end the album and I'm sure Ani fans will appreciate a classic song at the end.

Ani Difranco is so much better live. You can hear the intimacy and passion in her when she is on stage. While this is not a ticket to a show, So Much Shouting/So Much Laughter is a good representation on Ani's making good music with her band. Not as good as the incredible album Living in Clip, but still amazing nonetheless.

However, her lyrics (loaded with a significant social weight and an clear anti-establishment theme, sometimes sung in a clever slow rap-like fashion that I just love) make her stand out on a totally different level. The newly released "Self Evident" is the best testimony of this. The only other artist I have heard that remotely sounds like her on stage is Peter Hammill, but even that can be a bit of a stretch. The fact is: you have to take Ani DiFranco at face value, take any prejudices off your mind and listen to her. I think you will be surprised as I was, and wonder: where have I been all this time, while she's been recording music?