Ani DiFranco

Over the past twenty years, Ani DiFranco has released a studio album almost every year and toured nearly constantly during the first fifteen of those years. But her prolific nature isn't just a product of a tireless work ethic — it's indicative of how DiFranco has approached every aspect of her career from the start. She's released her own records on her Righteous Babe label and stayed a staunch proponent of independent music — while preaching to the downfall of major record label control, long before it was the cool thing to do. The payoff comes in the form of a loyal fan base and the creative control to attempt everything from 2004's stripped-down, reel-to-reel recording Educated Guess to her latest big studio effort, 2008's multilayered and vocally superb Red Letter Year.