So much has been made of Ani DiFranco’s maverick spirit as a businesswoman, her devotion to civic investment, and her umwavering commitment to non-musical issues, that it seems her strictly musical endeavors have been slightly overshadowed in the process.

Indeed, as her bio on the Righteous Babe Web site says, DiFranco “has played thousands of shows, captured the imaginations of legions of followers, and jammed with folkies, orchestras, rappers, rock ’n’ roll hall-of-famers, jazz musicians, poets, pop superstars (and) storytellers.”

None of this is hyperbole, either. As much as she has rightly come to represent a rather prescient independent artist stance, DiFranco is driven by musical wanderlust first and foremost. It’s a trait that has ensured she’d never stand still and very rarely repeat herself. As a result, her art has grown steadily and exponentially since her humble beginnings, assimilating along the way the influence of the variegated musical talent pool she’s come into contact with.

DiFranco’s all-but-never-ending tour swings back through her favored stompin’ grounds this week, as the Lil’ Folksinger’s “Red Letter Year” trek pauses for a bit inside Asbury Hall at Babeville, for an 8 p.m. show tonight. Gaby Moreno will open. Remaining tickets are available through Tickets.com.

—Jeff Miers