The new recording is by turns lovely, haunting, exciting, and emotive—a mix of covers and originals that Gentry first put together—that evoke a mythical South baked in the lazy sunshine glow of memory.
Delta Sweete Revisited is a gorgeously rendered re-imagining of an under-appreciated artist’s most under-appreciated work down by an equally under-appreciated band with a number of higher profile female vocalists in tow.
With its lavish arrangement and Williams' gritty performance, the band find new ways of celebrating one of the great underappreciated artists of the '60s and '70s -- something that's true of Bobbie Gentry's the Delta Sweete Revisited as a whole.
'Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited' is a sensitive re-rendering which approaches each song on a case-by-case basis.
It’s a record that stands as a celebration of the trailblazing spirit of figures like Gentry and Bunyan, women who made early inroads into the music industry on their own terms, and it’s a record that comes across as firmly led by their successors.
Lucinda Williams' version of Gentry's iconic "Ode To Billie Joe" leaves much to be desired but ... Overall, this one's worth it.
Sweete, and then, deliciously soured.
The Delta Sweete Revisited probably isn’t destined to be anything more than an interesting footnote in the career of anybody involved. But it certainly has something to it: a mood, an ambience, an ethereal sultriness, chilly northern mists turning to hot southern steam.
What purpose did this serve? We get some boring, obsolete, Americana album every week now and now another except it's a passable tribute album? The only impressive thing about this is the quantity of recognizable features, but none of them provide a performance that makes any one track stand out.
45/100 (Below Average)
Completely uninteresting and not doing any justice nor putting a new spin on the original. Disappointed is an understatement.
1 | Okolona River Bottom Band 4:37 feat. Norah Jones | |
2 | Big Boss Man 3:25 feat. Hope Sandoval | |
3 | Reunion 2:22 feat. Rachel Goswell | |
4 | Parchman Farm 3:47 feat. Carice Van Houten | |
5 | Mornin' Glory 3:22 feat. Lætitia Sadier | |
6 | Sermon 4:31 feat. Margo Price | 59 |
7 | Tobacco Road 2:51 feat. Susanne Sundfør | |
8 | Penduli Pendulum 3:11 feat. Vashti Bunyan, Kaela Sinclair | |
9 | Jessye' Lisabeth 3:04 feat. Phoebe Bridgers | |
10 | Refractions 2:28 feat. Marissa Nadler | |
11 | Courtyard 3:31 feat. Beth Orton | |
12 | Ode to Billie Joe 5:37 feat. Lucinda Williams | 63 |