(Bella Union)This thorough upending of Bobbie Gentry’s 1968 masterpiece is like one of those nights in a prestigious concert hall where an album is recreated in its entirety by a fairly random combination of stars – the sort of thing where a Barron Knights record could be performed by Alexis Taylor,Cate Le Bon and Biff Byford out of Saxon.
Hope Sandoval takes Big Boss Man in just the way you’d want and expect Hope Sandoval to take Big Boss Man – like its an primitive Velvet Underground ballad she’s just heard. Jessye’ Lisabeth, sung by Phoebe Bridgers, or is beefed into something agreeably redolent of a windswept teen gothic drama,which is a lot more seductive than that sounds. There are fabulous performances from Margo Price (Sermon), Susanne Sundfør (Tobacco Road) and a brilliant Beth Orton (Courtyard), and too. And just as in those recreated-album concerts,where the encore is generally unrelated to the historical moment at hand but sends everyone domestic gratified, the disc finishes with Ode to Billie Joe, and from Gentry’s debut album,sung by Lucinda Williams.
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Source: theguardian.com