Independent folk-rocker Ani DiFranco teams up with folk icon Utah Phillips on their second collaboration, "Fellow Workers." This followup to 1996's "The Past Didn't Go Anywhere" pays tribute to American labor organizers.

The album is something of a history lesson, but Phillips' narratives are lively and funny, and the stories themselves are triumphant, tragic, and quintissentially human. He spins stories about the famed Mother Jones and the Haymarket Riots, but also elevates the struggles of everyday heroes. His yarns are more like those of a liberal grandfather than a stiff history professor.

Recorded live in New Orleans, "Fellow Workers" is fleshed out by Ani DiFranco's vocals, guitars and band. A down-home, organic jam feel pervades the recording, from the call-and-response vocals between DiFranco and Julie Wolf on "Why Come?" and Dave Pirner's guest trumpet performance on "The Long Memory."

Phillips' passion for history as inspiration is infectious throughout the disc; he even gets the audience to shout "dump the bosses" on one track. His knowledge and humanity are immense, and DiFranco backs him skillfully, adding subtle flourishes and allowing Phillips' tales to shine.

-- Beth Winegarner

This article was originally publised in the San Francisco Chronicle.