• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Sale
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Mobile App
Advertisement
  • Reviews
  • Album Reviews

Album Review: Mercury Rev Shine a Welcome Light on Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete Revisited

The experimental rockers and several guests unite to pay tribute to a classic Southern album

mercury-rev-delta-sweete-revisted
B-

Artists

  • Mercury Rev

Formats

  • digital
  • vinyl
  • cd
Advertisement
Robert Ham
February 11, 2019 | 3:35am ET

    The Lowdown: Mercury Rev have played gently with other people’s material before, picking material from the likes of John Lennon, David Bowie, and Nico that best suited their blissed-out psychedelics. Working with a full album originally recorded by Bobbie Gentry is another matter entirely. While they wisely left the wispy voice of frontman Jonathan Donahue behind and instead called upon an array of female singers that span multiple generations and styles, the sound that Gentry cultivated — a tight, lustrous braid that wound together the various strains of Southern music — was mostly eschewed and replaced with the band’s usual plush dream pop.

    The Good: Some songs survived the transition better than others. “Sermon,” a tent revival rave-up on The Delta Sweete, is slowed to a honeyed, string-soaked crawl that finds an angelic anchor courtesy of future country legend Margo Price. She seemed a natural choice, as her work of late — particularly her most recent album, All-American Made — feels like the next evolutionary step of Gentry’s genre-free sound. Others, like Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier and Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval are bound to the same influences that helped launch Mercury Rev, so they settle into their particular songs a little more cozily. Sandoval, especially, is given space to let the bluesier edges of her voice rise to the surface on the Luther Dixon-penned classic “Big Boss Man”.

    The Bad: Losing the swing and fervor of some of this material really does the singers few favors. Rachel Goswell of Slowdive sounds pleasant enough on this new version of “Reunion”, but Mercury Rev’s mirage-like music is no match for the rattling sass of the original. Same goes for the downright-filthy go-go sound of Delta Sweete opener “Okolona River Bottom Band”, which gets washed out into a minimalist splay of splashing cymbals and piano pulsing, leaving Norah Jones dangling for purchase. The most mystifying decision the Rev made was to toss out the Doug Kershaw tune “Louisiana Man” from the original tracklist and tack on a cover of Gentry’s massive hit “Ode to Billie Joe” at the end. That the microphone was handed over to Lucinda Williams for this rendition was an even poorer choice as her delivery sounds entirely ragged and wrecked.

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    The Verdict: Combined with the recent release of The Girl from Chickasaw County, a box set that compiled all of her recorded work, some fresh attention on Gentry’s short but blazing career with the help of Mercury Rev and their co-conspirators here is a welcome development. That notion alone helps ease the minor disappointments that this well-meaning tribute serves up and elevates the best work on Delta Sweete Revisited even higher.

    Essential Tracks: “Mornin’ Glory”, “Sermon”, and “Penduli Pendulum”

    Buy: You can pick up Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete Revisited along with Mercury Rev’s other releases at Reverb LP. Click here for more.

    Advertisement
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Artists

  • Bobbie Gentry
  • Hope Sandoval
  • Laetitia Sadier
  • Lucinda Williams
  • Margo Price
  • Mercury Rev
  • Norah Jones
  • Rachel Goswell

More on this topic

  • Avant-Pop
  • Chamber Pop
  • Indie Rock
  • neo-psychedelia
  • psychedelic pop

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Advertisement

Popular Stories

Rockin 1000 Foo Fighters

Music

Over 1,000 Musicians Pay Tribute to Taylor Hawkins with Cover of "My Hero": Watch

Ray Liotta Goodfellas

Film

R.I.P. Ray Liotta, Goodfellas and Field of Dreams Actor Dead at 67

Let the "Good Times" Roll with Rome & Duddy's CBD & Merch: Order Today

Let the "Good Times" Roll with Rome & Duddy's CBD & Merch: Order Today

Advertisement

rammstein dicke titten video

Heavy Consequence

Rammstein's New "Dicke Titten" Video Pays Homage to Large-Breasted Women: Watch

margaret atwood handmaids tale unburnable edition penguin random house

Pop Culture

Margaret Atwood Announces Unburnable Edition of The Handmaid’s Tale

Personalized Stories

Around The Web

Latest Stories

cmon you know review

Liam Gallagher Is Still Liam Gallagher on C’MON YOU KNOW

May 26, 2022

Harrys House Review

Welcome to Harry's House, Harry Styles' Most Self-Assured and Thoughtfully Constructed Album to Date

May 20, 2022

jordana face the wall album review

On Face The Wall, Jordana Ascends

May 19, 2022

mr morale big steppers review

With Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar Chooses Himself and Makes a Masterpiece

May 13, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
  • Tours

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • Rankings
  • Artist of the Month
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Concert Tickets
  • Festival Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Livestreams
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Music Videos
  • Streaming
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do not sell my personal information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Album Review: Mercury Rev Shine a Welcome Light on Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited

Menu Shop Search Sale
Consequence
News
  • All News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
  • Tours
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • Rankings
  • Artist of the Month
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Concert Tickets
  • Festival Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Livestreams
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
  • Rootsland
  • This Must Be The Gig
  • Assembly
Videos
  • Interview
  • Video Essay
  • Fan Theories
  • Sole Kitchen
  • Annotated Video
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close