"I'm no heroine... I just write about what I should have done, sing what I wish I could say/I just hope some woman hears my music and it helps her through her day." That's Ani DiFranco, the folk-punk singer who's taken the music world by storm with her fierce spirit and no-apologies financial independence, on her latest record. "Living In Clip," due in stories Tuesday, is DiFranco's best idea yet in a long line of great ideas: a double-disc live record, showcasing her tireless vibrancy -- a quality which is mysteriously subdued in her studio works.

Despite DiFranco's best efforts to remain humble and honest, both in her songwriting and stage performances, much of her audience has claimed a role model in the prolific, profoud and playful Buffalo native -- which is why they scream with satisfaction every time she sings "I'm No Heroine," or any of her handcrafted accidental anthems.

"Living in Clip," named for the guitarist's penchant for blowing amplifiers, is full of such anthems. Over the course of her eight studio releases, DiFranco has amassed quite a collection of intelligent and ironic tunes, most of which come to life only when she takes the stage and discovers that her personal tales have found homes in the hearts of her listeners. Together -- DiFranco, her songs and the many audiences who appear throughout "Clip" -- have captured some of the most astonishing moments in recent musical history.

DiFranco handpicked the final cuts -- taken from shows in Berkeley, San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Canada and everywhere in between -- creating a 31-song cross-section of her musical history. Early works, like those from her tentative self-titled debut, take on new lives with rearrangement and the widsom of hindsight. "Out of Habit," for instance, is brimming with newfound innuendoes -- lent in part by DiFranco's retrospective storytelling. "Fire Door," once bouncy and nervous, is now suave and almost self-assured.

Likewise, DiFranco's more recent music has already undergone a few changes, like her rendition of "Amazing Grace," performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Doc Severinson. She also divulges a few new numbers, including the "I-love-you-I-hate-you" ricochet of "Gravel" and the brutal, regretful "Hide and Seek."

Songs like "Napoleon" and "The Diner" are all the more vivid here, where DiFranco's impressive guitar and vocal skills are immediate and spontaneous. What sets the songs on "Clip" apart is the humor and joy in DiFranco's voice and the ever-present reactions of the audience, who scream, howl and laugh in all the right (and many of the wrong) places.

As usual, DiFranco is joined by longtime drummer Andy Stochansky and bassist Sara Lee. Her wordplay with the percussionist is a delightful -- and often hilarious -- counterpart to her emotionally challenging songs; her vocal interludes with him are nothing short of heavenly. Lee, a recent addition who has since returned to backing the Indigo Girls, brings depth to the live arrangements.

Listeners don't need to know DiFranco's work to enjoy "Living in Clip." It's actually a good introduction to her work, brimming with everything that makes DiFranco's music so remarkable. "Clip" is more than just a photo album of life on the road; it's an example of how music needs to shapeshift with time and the changing perspectives of the artist.

-- Beth Winegarner

This article was originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle.