Onetime neo-folk enfant terrible Ani DiFranco's Red Letter Year is the product of both tragedy and triumph. It's the first batch of songs New Orleans resident DiFranco, 38, has written post-Katrina, and her first record since the arrival of daughter Petah Lucia. "Katrina is still happening to a lot of people in New Orleans," says DiFranco, and the anger is audible in the title track's sharp critique: "Man with a monkey for a face. ... flying over in his helicopter, whistling 'Dixie' and playing dumb." The album includes contributions from New Orleans pals like the Rebirth Brass Band, and C.C. Adcock. "I met him during Katrina," DiFranco remembers, "we evacuated to his apartment." But she says the biggest influence was her "co-producer and babydaddy," Big Easy native Mike Napolitano, who helped ferment the rich loam of folk-funk and atmospheric soundscapes.

Check out all of the albums in the 2008 Fall Music Preview