Singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco [ tickets ] has added more than a dozen shows to her spring tour of the US.

The Grammy-winning performer, who is currently making her way across Australia, is set to launch the stateside portion of her world tour March 3 in Wilmington, DE. The outing currently includes 26 cities in the eastern half of the country, and DiFranco will eventually head out West, according to a posting at her MySpace page.

The self-described "Little Folksinger" is putting the pedal to the metal to support September's "Red Letter Year," her 20th studio album on her own Righteous Babe Records label. Two years in the making, the album marks the singer's first release since relocating from Buffalo, NY, to New Orleans and becoming a mom.

"I think I sorely needed to be slowed down, and finally a little person came along powerful enough to do it," DiFranco said in a statement. "When I listen to my new record, I hear a very relaxed me, which I think has been absent in a lot of my recorded canon."

A couple of tracks from the 12-song set are streaming at the performer's MySpace page.

Concert-goers are also being treated to DiFranco's new song, "November 4, 2008," which celebrates the election of President Barack Obama. A couple video versions of that tune are available at the singer/guitarist's website.

Last year, DiFranco also put out the "Live at Babeville" DVD, which captures her inaugural sold-out shows at her own Buffalo venue. Those performances have been airing on PBS-TV stations across the country.