14th Street the Garbarge Swirls Like a Cyclone...

What's happened to Ani DiFranco? I've been pondering this question for the last 5 or 6 albums. I understand that an artist has to evolve, and though her lyrics remain clever and engaging, she's totally lost me, musically. I'll take a "Buildings and Bridges" or a "This Bouquet" over a "Half-Assed" or a "Nicotine" any day. I know, boring boring boring, 10 years ago that I was singing right along with Dilate in the car, albeit with nary a hairy leg; what's happened since then is Maceo Parker, a slew of sidekick musicians, and some really dissonant sounds.

What is an artist supposed to do? Lather, rinse and repeat? There's a way to do new things without totally alienating the audience though... In her earlier records, the political punctuated the personal; now it's the other way around.