Audio Mixer: Ani DiFranco.

Recording information: Dugout, New Orleans, LA.

Photographers: Scot Fisher; Eric Frick.

18 years and 18 albums into her career, Ani DiFranco chose her own idiosyncratic version of a greatest hits compilation with CANON. This two-disc, 36-track set covers the length and breadth of her career, from her early, acoustic folk-punk days to the forays into country, electronica, and jazzy adult contemporary that followed. Rather than focusing on her best-known or most commercially successful material, DiFranco merely chose her favorites of her songs, making CANON a fittingly personal and quirky stroll through DiFranco's back catalogue.

Detailed liner notes and lavish packaging make CANON a satisfying package on its own terms, and even longtime fans who already have all of DiFranco's albums will want it for the inclusion of a handful of rarities and five newly-recorded remakes of early songs, the fan favorites "Shameless" and "Napoleon" among them. CANON also works well as an introduction to this mercurial singer-songwriter, providing new fans with a comprehensive overview of her career, while still providing room for further exploration.