Ani DiFranco: Swing Set : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

It was probably only a matter of time before Ani DiFranco, noted professional agitator and restless experimenter, got serious about the toys of the Digital Age. This EP offers two versions of the Maceo Parker-fortified funk-shuffle single "Swing," but it is most notable for its dramatically reworked version of "To the Teeth," in which DiFranco samples and chops her anti-handgun invective into a gorgeously persuasive hailstorm of pastiched beats. That showstopper is followed by three covers that all DiFrancophiles should hear: a live version of Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Me" that features backing vocals from Gillian Welch, Phil Ochs' "When I'm Gone" and a smart, riled-up reading of Bob Dylan's "Hurricane." Swinging, for real. (RS 847)

TOM MOON