Ode to Bobbie Gentry: The Capitol Years

Of course, this compilation includes Ode to Billie Joe (an American number one and British top twenty hit) and I'll never fall in love again (a British number one hit). Perhaps these two songs, more than anything else, show the difference in tastes between British and American listeners. Ode to Billie Joe is a Bobbie Gentry original - a classic country song with a bluesy edge. Contrast that with I'll never fall in love again, a mainstream pop song written by Bacharach and David, first recorded by Dionne Warwick (and not to be confused with the Tom Jones hit of the same title). Following her British success, Bobbie became a TV presenter and this affected her recordings - she sometimes selected material that would appeal to her TV audience.

Apart from Ode to Billie Joe, there are some interesting self-penned originals here, these being Mississippi delta (the flip side of Ode), Fancy (a minor American hit, later revived by Reba McEntire), Touch em with love, and Reunion. This collection was meant to include Chickasaw County Child, but instead included Papa, Won't You Let Me Go To Town, a different song. So there are just six of Bobbie's own songs here but you can find more of her songs on other compilations.

There are plenty of covers. Son of a preacher man was a huge hit for Dusty Springfield. You've made me so very happy was originally written and recorded by Motown's Brenda Holloway, but it was Blood sweat and tears who had the hit. In the ghetto was a transatlantic hit for Elvis Presley. Hushabye mountain is a song from Chitty chitty bang bang. Skip along Sam is an obscure song by Donovan, a Scottish folk-rocker inspired by Bob Dylan.

This is a great collection of Bobbie's music, showing all aspects of her music except her duets. Nevertheless, if you are primarily looking for her own songs, you should look at the alternative compilations.


The Other White Lady of Soul   February 13, 2003
David Scott (Claremont, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This odd but wonderful collection from the UK daringly flies in the face of standard Gentry wisdom. It generally bypasses her rep as the Faulkner of pop, and focuses instead on her considerable talent as a husky-voiced soul singer. It's light on Gentry's own compositions and heavy on covers as it sets out to prove an intriguing hypotheses: over the span of her too-brief career, Ms. Gentry provided the only credible rival to the seminal white-lady-sings-soul album, Dusty in Memphis. The case would have been stronger had this set included Somebody Like Me from Patchwork, Slow Cookin' from the Capitol greatest hits, Sweete Peony from Local Gentry and Niki Hoeky from Ode to Billie Joe, but what's here is all first-rate and should be a revelation to anyone who only knows Gentry from Billie Joe and Fancy. The collection is definitely worth the hefty import price for the unreleased stuff: the smoldering Girl From Cincinnati (wait `til you hear what she rhymes with limousine!), a genuinely touching Hushabye Mountain and a gorgeous, hushed samba reading of Stormy that should be the envy of both Jobim and Veloso.


THIS IS A MUST FOR EVERY BOBBIE GENTRY FAN!   May 31, 2002
James J. Patterson (Austin, Texas USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I came to love Bobbie Gentry's music when her big hit "Ode to Billie Joe" came out. I loved her first album, and each album thereafter: Delta Suite, Local Gentry, Touch 'Em With Love, Fancy, and Patchwork (probably one of my favorite albums of all time). With this release, I once again understand why I love her so much. It's that smoky, deep voice that is so musical, it makes you want to just melt in a heap. I was more than pleasantly surprised by "The Girl from Cincinnati" and "Stormy" which I'd never had the pleasure of hearing before. I'm not sure I ever heard her do "Son of a Preacher Man" before. She does a creditable version, even compared to the illustrious and incomparable Dusty Springfield. One small mistake on this collection: "Chickasaw County Child" is actually "Papa, Won't You Let Me Go To Town". Both songs are from her first album, but this cut is definitely not "Chickasaw County Child". No big deal. Now, how about releasing all her albums on CD, as a voice of this stature so richly deserves? Until then, we'll have to be grateful for the small amount that is out there on CD and keep praying for more.