With albums such as Yerself Is Steam and See You on the Other Side, Mercury Rev’s 1990s were defined by bold experimentation. But that sense of adventure has been largely absent in the 20 years since 1998’s Deserter’s Songs, their music too often solid as opposed to spectacular. So if nothing else, The Delta Sweete Revisited offers an unexpected change of direction.
Out go Jonathan Donahue’s distinctive vocals, to be replaced by 13 female singers – including such big names as Norah Jones, Beth Orton and Lucinda Williams – each of whom tackle a song from Bobbie Gentry’s 1968 cult country-blues classic. The stately arrangements, meanwhile, are more about subtly embellishing the sultry originals – a flash of saw here, an orchestral flourish there – rather than completely overhauling them: the lush backing on Tobacco Road only serves to accentuate the song’s drama, for example.
The standout performance comes from country singer Margo Price, who depicts living a life in fear of a vengeful God on the powerful Sermon (“God almighty’s gonna cut you down”). But Williams deserves credit too, for her impassioned take on Ode to Billie Joe, a 1967 US No 1 single drafted in here to replace the original album’s inessential Louisiana Man.
