Ani DiFranco established her career as an uncompromising independent music performer who rejected offers from major recording companies to join their corporate fold. While her music expresses her liberal political beliefs, it also serves to express her personal joys and pains in language and tone not unlike that of more conventional singer-songwriters. This isn’t angry ear-bleeding punk rock, but urban folk, mostly sensitive and acoustic with a slightly funky kick that presents a young person’s insecure bravado as he/she makes sense of a confused world. Yes, “Untouchable Face” drops an ‘F-bomb’ in its catchy refrain, but a few random cheeky moments aside, DiFranco doesn’t allow shock tactics to overrule her artistic impulses. Her eighth solo album, 1996’s Dilate, captures her talents working in high gear, following up on the noteworthy success of her previous album 1995’s Not A Pretty Girl. “Done Wrong” and “Adam and Eve” emphasize atmospheric productions. “Superhero” adopts a street-walkin’ gait. The title track speaks in confessional whispers. “Napoleon” adds a warmly overdriven electric guitar to DiFranco’s stream-of-consciousness rhythms. DiFranco’s essentially a beatnik in a musician’s skin. Her albums serve as journals perfect for the road.