Swing Set

This EP gathers together various odds and ends: a radio edit of "Swing" from the To the Teeth album, shortened by eliminating Corey Parker's rap but with the funky rhythmic elements pushed up in the mix; a recasting of "To the Teeth" that, unfortunately, de-emphasizes the angry lyrics; and covers of Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan songs, each recast in characteristic DiFranco style. Of the last three, the one that works best is a version of "Hurricane" recorded for but not used in the film The Hurricane; Dylan's righteous anger works well in DiFranco's cutting interpretation. Her "Do Re Me" (sic) loses the irony Guthrie got out of it by matching the lyric to a jocular performance, and her "When I'm Gone" (different from the version used in the film Steal This Movie) loses Ochs' graceful, elegiac tone. But it's good to have such songs renewed through reinterpretation.