Customer Reviews

Swing Set

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fun filled and jammy. I love the live performance of Do Re Mi. I'd never heard that song before but adored it the first time I heard it come out of Ms. Difranco's mouth. A really fun remix of Swing and To The Teeth. Definetly worth the price.. WARNING: Hard to let go of after first listen! Enjoy

A few days before this record came out I saw the movie "The Hurricane". I was deeeply moved by that movie and particularly the featured track on the album, Bob Dylans'"hurricane". Then I came across Ani's version and it seemed that a classic had been filled with new life and new disgust at the ubsurdity Rubin Carter had incountered. That is simply the best track on this six song EP. Ani also reworked a few of her own songs and tha result was an better-than-album version of "to the teeth" the title track of her previous album. the other four songs are icing on the cake.

This little album from Ani might at first seem like a little self-endulgent exercise on her part. A number of the songs on this album were (albeit in different styles) also on her "To The Teeth" album. Nonetheless, the Bob Dylan cover "Hurricane" Ani and her band perform on the album is absolutely, utterly amazing. The choice of rythm, what instruments to play and Ani's stunning vocal abilities make this album worth buying just for this one song.

Serving as an excellent bridge between last year's *To The Teeth* and even newer material recently debuted at concerts, Ani DiFranco's *Swing Set* features both funk and folk and evenly mixes the two on the bookend tracks of this sharply designed EP.

The first song is a tightened radio edit version of the groove-laced "Swing," and it is followed by the album cut. Both display a new sonic vocabulary that Ani built while on tour with jazz/funk legend Maceo Parker last summer. "Swing" is totally unlike any other Ani DiFranco song published to date, but it doesn't grate against its context the way some of her other somewhat experimental tacks have. The third track is a total reinvention of "To The Teeth"; it features the same chordal structure but changes nearly everything else. Cleverly using the gunfire of what might have been an old cartoon as its percussion track and resampled horns from the original for ornamentation, "To The Teeth" provides a totally fresh look at Ani's emotional plea for gun control.

The latter half of the *Swing* EP features some superb cover recordings, something DiFranco's catalogue has severely lacked thus far. First is Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi," recorded on tour with folkers extraordinaire Greg Brown and Gillian Welch. The harmony that these performers and their side-men add to Ani's melody is welcome and warranted, while the inclusion of other experienced guitarists on a DiFranco track is a treat. Phil Och's "When I'm Gone" provides stark contrast, a slow and thoughtful acoustic construction featuring only Ani and her own acoustic guitar. As Ani herself has pointed out, 'silences have their own things to say,' and she says plenty here with the moments of calm left in the wake of sweet guitar reverb. Capping off Ani's second "single" is a growling band version of Bob Dylan's classic "Hurricane." Ani had recorded it for last year's film The Hurricane (whose subject it is about) but it was inexplicably unused. The song features no discernible acoustic guitar, instead standing by virtue of a backbone of solid bass, organ, and drums. Ani herself adds a spare electric riff and a weathered but energetic vocal. Here she is in her glory: not singing so much as storytelling. That is partially the beauty of Dylan's construction, swinging back and forth between menacing minor-key verses and shimmering major outros. Clocking in at over seven minutes, afterwards you don't know whether you should start breathing again or if you should just press the play button.

Here's some advice: Press the play button.

Swing, one of the funkiest songs from "To The Teeth," makes a nice expanded single. The CD includes an additional version of Swing, plus new material from the same vein as To The Teeth. The album version of the song alone is worth the buy, and the new material is good Ani quality.

Ani Difranco probably puts out cds twice as fast as most recording artists but somehow you still ending dying for the next one to come out. I think she knows that so sometimes she puts out EP's to tide us over while we wait. That's what this is. There are only 6 tracks but they are such amazing songs that it's like a complete record.

The first song is a `radio edit' of "swing" from the album, To the Teeth. Basically it's shorter and probably more radio-friendly because she cuts out the rap part. The next song is the same one only the album version which if you're gonna buy this EP then you probably already have it on the actual album. But who can't hear it again? Then she has a remix of "To The Teeth." All the words are the same but the music is pretty different. You wonder how she can have time to put out all the new music she does let alone cool remixes of the ones she already done! The live cover of "Do Re Me" is incredible.. I hate to admit I haven't heard the original version but I can't picture this not doing it justice. "When I'm Gone" is a slow song that is a little hard to follow after the louder, angrier "Do Re Me" but somehow it works. The last song though it's my least favorite on this record is another strong tune, Bob Dylan's, "Hurricane."

Basically, Ani continues to dazzle us with more versions of her own songs and amazing covers from some other great songwriters.

if you are an ani difranco fan, this cd will fit perfectly in your collection. it has some un-released songs on it, as well as mixes of swing, which happens to be one of my favorite songs. it is worth the few dollars as an ani addition to any cd collection.

I'm sure nobody would argue that Ani is at her best live, but being in the studio she sure manages to produce some great works. This is a fantastic EP that has some songs that definitely have mainstream appeal on it. Nevertheless, a good listen/buy for a hardcore Ani fan, too. If it had a few more songs on the same level as Swing, it could have been a large mainstream success. In any case, great compared to the rest of what's out there, even if Ani has done and will do better.

The song "swing" is definitely fun and funky, but definitely not my favorite off of TO THE TEETH. The rap on the album version makes it sound almost silly, but in a way I kind of like that. The remix of "To the Teeth" is interesting as well, but the standouts are by far the last three songs. "Hurricane" I believe is just as good as Dylan's... maybe even a bit angrier at the injustice of what happened to The Hurricane. Fan's of her earlier/folkier days will love "When I'm gone" and "Do Re Mi." If you've ever heard earlier versions of "Do Re Mi" (by Woody Guthrie), you'll see how remarkably Ani re-invents that song. She adds a bit of hostility and passion that the song needs to fully illustrate the content of the lyrics.

Once again, Ani Difranco has managed to amaze me. She has released a wonderful new single. She is the best singer/songwriter I have ever had the chance to listen to. I suggest this CD to anyone. Even those who like rap. :-D