Mercury Rev – Bobbie Gentry’s the Delta Sweete Revisited (Album download)
Mercury Rev and an all-star cast of women (including Norah Jones, Margo Price, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucinda Williams) have resurrected the collection with ‘The Delta Sweete Revisited,’ a brilliant, heartfelt, track-for-track reimagination that honors the original album’s pioneering spirit while simultaneously offering fresh perspective and modern insight.
“Through the years, there was just a momentum that kept bringing me back to ‘The Delta Sweete,’” says Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue, a founding member of the hugely influential experimental rock outfit. “I couldn’t help but feel my heart go out for something that I’m sure Bobbie felt quite close to but seemed to be utterly unreadable to popular culture at the time. It was almost as if it was some kind of Sanskrit music that people had forgotten by the late 60’s.”
‘The Delta Sweete Revisited’ is about more than looking backwards, though. The album arrives at a pivotal moment in our national conversation about the roles, rights, and recognition of women, and it’s hard to imagine a better framework for that discussion than Gentry’s lost masterpiece. In his insightful liner notes for the new collection, Rolling Stone’s David Fricke describes Gentry as a barrier-breaking feminist “in vision, deed and success amid the strict, paternal order of the country-music industry,” and indeed her legacy lives on through each of the artists who contribute their voices to this album.
“You can feel that Bobbie was taking a musical stand when she made ‘The Delta Sweete,’ and you have to respect the energy behind that because it’s carried on for fifty years,” says Donahue. “The women on this album tapped directly into that.”
Ultimately, ‘The Delta Sweete Revisited’ is about much more than recognition or reward. It’s a tribute to the enduring legacy of an artist who forged a path for so many to follow, a testament to the power of our connection to the music that speaks to our most intimate selves, a timely contribution to a dialogue about autonomy and equality that stretches far beyond the art itself.
Tracklist:
01. Okolona River Bottom Band (feat. Norah Jones) (4:36)
02. Big Boss Man (feat. Hope Sandoval) (3:24)
03. Reunion (feat. Rachel Goswell) (2:21)
04. Parchman Farm (feat. Carice van Houten) (3:47)
05. Mornin’ Glory (feat. Laetitia Sadier) (3:22)
06. Sermon (feat. Margo Price) (4:31)
07. Tobacco Road (feat. Susanne Sundfør) (2:51)
08. Penduli Pendulum (feat. Vashti Bunyan & Kaela Sinclair) (3:10)
09. Jesseye ‘Lizabeth (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (3:04)
10. Refractions (feat. Marissa Nadler) (2:28)
11. Courtyard (feat. Beth Orton) (3:31)
12. Ode to Billie Joe (feat. Lucinda Williams) (5:36)
Stream and download below.
Download Mercury Rev – Bobbie Gentry’s the Delta Sweete Revisited