Though singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco plays an acoustic guitar, her insistent strumming and arresting yowl hardly fit the folkie mold. Her music is difficult to categorize, combining elements of punk, folk, soul, and hip-hop, and her songs vary from rhythmic to slow and sweet. Music pundits often call DiFranco's lyrics angry, but her words convey far more than feminist frustration, describing both the ups and downs of her life.

DiFranco's concerts are fiery, fun and almost always too short, and performances like the one she gave at Roseland will whet fans' appetites for her forthcoming live album (due April 22). DiFranco and her band -- drummer Andy Stochansky and bassist Jason Mercer -- mostly stuck to recent material during the hour-and-forty-five-minute set, and new songs like "Gravity" and the touching "Fourth of July" held up well against established audience favorites like "Cradle and All," "Worthy," "Letter to a John" and "Anticipate."

The crowd swayed and bounced right along with DiFranco, who didn't mind a bit that her fans' sing-along frenzy sometimes drowned out her own voice. She sang songs like "Both Hands," "Done Wrong" and "Shameless" with an enthusiasm matched only by her sense of the ridiculous, recounting mishaps with a wide smile and a knowing laugh.

The night ended with the Indigo Girls, Gang of Four bassist Sara Lee, and opening act Danielle Howle joining a bongo-playing DiFranco for a stripped-down version of "When Doves Cry." The encore illustrated DiFranco's fine interpretive skills, but it als