1. Names And Dates And Times 2. Anyday 3. 4th Of July 4. Willing To Fight 5. Egos Like Hairdos 6. Back Around 7. Blood In The Boardroom 8. Born A Lion 9. My IQ 10. Used To You 11. Pick Yer Nose 12. God's Country

You can describe New York guitarist Ani DiFranco with many words, but "subtle" will not be among them. If she's got something to say, she doesn't hesitate to put her feelings into song, yielding work packed with punch and shock value. She's an alternative singer whose music is perhaps best described as folk with brass, sass and a touch of crass. On her fourth album, DiFranco rips at social norms, asking "How come I can pick my ears, but not my nose? Who made up that rule anyway?" She's more than a casual observer, noting in "Egos Like Hairdos" that people play life like a sport. Sometimes she's just gross to drive home a point, a warning that you had better fasten a safety belt before proceeding. Such is the case with "Blood in the Boardroom," about a woman in the male-dominated corporate bastion. Between her wildly varying vocal inflections and nearly spasmodic acoustic guitar strumming (both of which I liked), she mixes various percussion (including a tire rim) with violin (Mary Ramsey of John & Mary), piano (Ann Rabson of Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women) and harmonica (Rory McLeod). Stephen Ide (Mansfield, MA)