Ani DiFranco brought a six-piece band to the Taft Theatre Friday night and played an energetic set that ended strongly.

        In many ways the show resembled Michelle Shocked's recent appearance at the Southgate House. Both artists look different than when they arrived on the scene, trading close-cropped hair for shoulder-length locks. And both have moved away from a stripped-down folk sound to embrace a broader music palette drawing heavily from jazz, funk and soul.

        Horn players Hans Teuber and Todd Horton got a workout during the first half of Friday's show, which favored high-energy songs and solid grooves that sometimes (again this resembled the Michelle Shocked concert) went on too long. The presence of the horn players was especially strong toward the middle of the set, when “Fire Door” segued into “Hat Shaped Hat” and “Letter to a John” led into “Tamuritza Lingua.”

        As solid as each song was individually, the music started to sound predictable and long-winded. In comparison “Up Up Up Up Up Up” built around a slow, haunting bass line, and leaving more space between instruments, it sounded fresh and concise. Warm and sensual, “Overlap” could be a single on R&B stations.

        For the next song, the band pared down to flugelhorn, flute, melodica and acoustic guitar, and then everyone left the stage except for Ms. DiFranco. “Back Back Back” featured intriguing chord changes, powerful guitar playing and soulful singing. Musicians seldom make such a strong impact with so little accompaniment, and one solo performance was not enough.

        Like Michelle Shocked, Ms. DiFranco talked a lot and was eager to discuss controversial issues. Sometimes she recited poems, including one that addressed United States foreign policy. In spite of her strong feelings, she snuck in some humor, with couplets like “Take away our play stations/And we are a third world nation.”

        At the end of the poem, the crowd rose to its feet, and it stayed there for upbeat versions of “Heartbreak Even” and “Shy.” A low-key encore, “Sick of Me” was heavy on percussion.

        The opening band, Drums and Tuba, created layers of sound with drums, tuba and guitar. Their strongest number (on which they were joined by Ms. DiFranco's band) sounded like King Crimson playing the theme music to Sanford and Son.

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