Listen to The Past Didn't Go Anywhere first for your philosophical grounding. Haunting and humorous at every turn, this album introduces you to Utah, what he's about and who he is as a folk singer. Ani helps you along by providing the right tone with which to take his stories. The music is dark yet soothing on 'Bridges' where Utah claims "I can go outside and pick up a rock that's older than the oldest song you know, bring it back in here and drop it on your foot. Now the past didn't go anywhere, did it?", yet upbeat and hip on 'Mess with People' where Utah tells stories of hobos using rubber cockroaches to keep from paying for food or inspiring kids to get the best of their teachers. We hear Utah's concepts of time, history, anarchy, pacifism, and just about any other social abstraction you can conjure. It's definitely mind-candy for the socially conscious listener, luring you into healthy skepticism and levity of self. And it's damn good music at any level — you'll discover new nooks and crannies to lay your head on every time you hear it.

After you've been oriented to the Utah/Ani universe, put on Fellow Workers for a heavy dose of satire and history, continued with the same inspired sound employed in The Past. Many of the songs on this album are Utah's original songs reworked so you can really get their personality, such as 'Stupid's Song', where sly rhythms play underneath the original tune. 'The Most Dangerous Woman' tells about Mother Jones, who at 83 led a one-woman revolt against the US Militia in protest of the treatment of coalmine workers. Be prepared to hear stories like this about Joe Hill and plenty other souls who fought for workers' rights in America. Slowly you gain insight into the spirit of freedom in America and what it takes to be a true subversive force.

If you're a tried and true fan of Ani DiFranco (can she do no wrong?), you've come to love her unpredictable music and the wide range of musical voices inside her. What you will find in her work with Utah is a place for all of her voices to be present, folded into the landscape of one of the most interesting characters of our time. All this comes neatly packaged in two great albums just waiting for your CD player to turn over again and again. . . feeding your mind, soul, heart. . . inspiring you to march in that next UNC housekeeper's wage rally. . . or perhaps to finally get around to asking your boss exactly why is it again that for every dollar a man makes, a woman makes 76 cents?