Tony Joe White
Rain Crow
Yep Roc
Courtesy of Yep Rock Music Group
You can practically feel the steam rising from Tony Joe White’s latest stew of sultry swamp rock. Now in his seventies, the seemingly ageless conjurer responsible for the evocative classics “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia” casts a powerful spell on these dark tales of dangerous impulses and mysterious natural forces, intertwining his low, leisurely voice with sleepy guitar licks and sexy rhythms that feel just right. In less-skilled hands, Rain Crow might seem a shade hokey, but White’s laid-back charisma lends an aura of soulful authority to songs like “The Opening of the Box,” about backwoods snake handlers, and the spooky “Tell Me a Swamp Story.” Prepare to be mesmerized once again.
