"You're gonna love this world if it's the last thing I do," Ani DiFranco [ tickets ] calmly promises during "Landing Gear," a cut from her latest album, "Red Letter Year." Using easy-moving melodies, jazzy undertones and rhythmic acoustic guitars, DIY innovator DiFranco sounds more comfortable in her own skin than ever.

Two years in the making and co-produced with her partner, Mike Napolitano, "Red Letter Year" is DiFranco's first studio release since she relocated from Buffalo, NY, to New Orleans and became a mom. Both locale and baby make an impact on this recording. While it's certainly not a gushy ode to her newborn or a rowdy Bourbon Street parade, "Red Letter Year" embodies an overall appreciation for new life, love, truth and hope.

DiFranco's signature acoustic guitar beats share the spotlight with upright bassist Todd Sickafoose, vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon, drummer Allison Miller and trumpeter Jon Hassell. Louisiana's Rebirth Brass Band, Richard Comeaux and C.C. Adcock also make guest appearances on "Red Letter Year Reprise," a quintessential Crescent City-minded tune with a jolly horns and hand-clapping finale.

With grounded, folksy optimism and feminine pride, DiFranco discusses growing old, motherhood, self-acceptance, companionship, God and humanity. "Lately, I've been glaring into mirrors picking myself apart/You'd think at my age I'd have thought of something better to do than make insecurity into a full-time job," she sings on "Present/Infant." By the song's end, DiFranco vows to remember life is about having a good time. It's a theme that gets echoed throughout these 12 tracks.

Mushrooms and pot references are intermingled with heartening thoughts about quintuplets and high heels, reinforcing DiFranco's talent for artfully conveying detail without sounding excessive or over-thought. She usually makes her messages clear: "As long as I'm with you, I win," she gaily purrs on the piano-and-choral-driven "Smiling Underneath." For the most part, the album swaggers along and gently climaxes around a lyric pool of realistic issues and positive outlooks.

"Red Letter Year" embodies the familiar determination and spirit of DiFranco's previous works, but it has an energizing intensity all its own. Her self-empowerment and global perception have never sounded more compelling or important.