Bobbie Gentry – The Delta Sweete (Deluxe 2LP)

Bobbie Gentry seized the opportunities afforded her by a smash debut single by designing her second album as a quasi-autobiographical portrait of the American South. Gentry nodded at her ambition by naming the LP The Delta Sweete, a title that suggests a set of interconnected songs, if not quite a concept album. The Delta Sweete doesn't deliver a unified narrative, it's a collection of short stories offering variations on a particular theme -- namely, the peculiarities of the South. 

In a sense, The Delta Sweete functions as an explicit sequel to "Ode to Billie Joe," trading upon keenly observed vignettes and languidly funky rhythms, elements that underpin the LP's 12 songs, whether they're written by Gentry or not. A quarter of the album is dedicated to covers, and they're not left-field choices, either. "Big Boss Man" is a Jimmy Reed tune that had just been recorded by both Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley, the blues standard "Parchman Farm" became a '60s standard after being adapted by Mose Allison, John D Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road'' was turned into a garage rock standard by the British group the Nashville Teens, and Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man" was well on its way to becoming a country classic in 1968. 

Belonging neither to the mainstream nor the counterculture, The Delta Sweete is a beguiling oddity that's simultaneously ornate and spooky. Over the years, it deservedly found its cult.

- AllMusic.com