Ani DiFranco: Trust

Filmed May 11-12, 2004 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., Ani DiFranco: Trust finds the indie singer/songwriter/poet/guitarist/force of nature (whose fast-and-hard-playing choppy guitar makes U2's Edge sound like Lawrence Welk) putting her entire heart, soul, and body into a blistering 20-song/poem set. Backed by Todd Sickafoose on upright bass and (occasionally) Tony Scherr on guitar, the feminist, activist, and indie founder of Righteous Babe Records waxes philosophical, social, political (there's even a brief appearance by former presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich), and personal on songs spanning a 15-year career, with nearly half coming from her two most recent releases, the double-Grammy nominated Educated Guess (2004) and the brand-new Knuckle Down. Standout tracks here include "Gravel," "God's Country," "Anticipate," "Swan Dive," "Angry Anymore," "Evolve," "Shameless," and the poem "Grand Canyon." Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, Ani DiFranco: Trust will be like manna from musical heaven for the artist's fiercely loyal fans and it will--what's the technical term I'm looking for?--oh yeah, knock-the-knickers-off of anyone catching DiFranco's unique folk-indie-rap sound for the first time. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)