Ani DiFranco-Imperfectly

Nothing short of massive, Ani DiFranco's Imperfectly is stunning in its arrangements, personal in its delivery and gritty with bravado. The artist as auteur is first to come to mind, juxtaposing cinematic imagery with lyrical subterfuge. The songs are infectious and garnered from a Feminista on the run, a hero rejecting heroism, coy when it counts "smile pretty and watch your back", this record plays like a mantra for anyone packing outsider status. "In or Out", contemplates sexuality and gender roles in their trusty pigeon holes, Ani sings, "I've got no criteria for sex or race/ I just want to hear your voice/ I just want to see your face". Despite its title and Ani's ever-changing hairstyles, "Fixing Her Hair" is not about a pre-show motel room electric razor fiasco. "Fixing Her Hair" is the story of a woman settling for far less than we would like her to be and is punctuated by mandolin creating the perfect backdrop as this bedroom mirror story unfolds "she sits there like America