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. ~ William Ruhlmann