Mercury Rev – “Ode To Billie Joe” (Feat. Lucinda Williams) & “Tobacco Road” (Feat. Susanne Sundfør) (Bobbie Gentry Covers)
Expansive indie rock veterans Mercury Rev, whose 1998 opus Deserter’s Songs turned 20 a few months ago, have been putting together a full-length tribute to the fascinating country star Bobbie Gentry. They’ve recorded covers of the songs from her 1968 album The Delta Sweete, and they’ve enlisted singers like Beth Orton, Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, Vashti Bunyan, Marissa Nadler, Phoebe Bridgers, Game Of Thrones’ Carice Van Houten, and Laetitia Sadier to lend their vocals to it.
Bobbie Gentry’s Delta Sweete Revisited is coming out next next month, and we’ve already heard Mercury Rev’s renditions of “Sermon” with Margo Price, “Big Boss Man” with Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, and “Okolona River Bottom Band” with Norah Jones. And today, they’ve shared two new tracks from it featuring Norwegian artist and Stereogum commentariat favorite Susanne Sundfør and Lucinda Williams.
Sundfør takes on “Tobacco Road,” which alternates between a gritty stomp and lushly produced orchestration. Williams, meanwhile, tackles “Ode To Billie Joe” — which wasn’t on Gentry’s original The Delta Sweete album, although Mercury Rev evidently decided to include it anyway because it’s such an iconic song. Listen to both tracks below.
Bobbie Gentry’s Delta Sweete Revisited is out 2/8 via Partisan/Bella Union. Pre-order it here.