Rain Crow (2LP)

With a deep, come-hither voice (Mother Jones) and an “ability to turn that throbbing, thumping uh-uhh hazy guitar beat” (PopMatters), the “King of Swamp Rock” Tony Joe White will release his 19th studio album, Rain Crow, May 27 on Yep Roc Records. Of the song, Tony Joe says, “She is a woman who has magic, although not quite like a conjure woman. And she likes to dance and be with her man (Smoochie Man), and a conjure don’t like company at all. I’m more at ease with Hoochie, but I believe Leann, my wife and co-writer, sometimes has a little “Conjure Woman” in her.” Recorded at his own studio and produced by his son, Jody White, Rain Crow summons recollections of long ago, when animals foretold the weather, tongue-talking worshippers proved their faith by handling snakes and a “bad wind” could drive a man to edge of insanity. The nine-song set features new compositions White wrote over the past three years, including co-writes with his wife, Leann, and Billy Bob Thornton on “The Middle of Nowhere.” Known for popularizing swamp music, he wrote gems like “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia,” and has had his songs performed by Elvis, Ray Charles, and Tina Turner. In 2014, White was profiled in the Nashville episode of HBO’s Sonic Highways and performed “Polk Salad Annie” with the Foo Fighters of The Last Show with David Letterman.