Bobbie Gentry inspires Liz Brasher with solid new album

Grammy Best New Artist winner Bobbie Gentry was first heard in the Top 40 in 1967 with her mysterious Mississippi tale “Ode to Billie Joe,” featuring strings arranged and conducted by Jimmie Haskell. The single quickly reached No. 1 in the summer of 1967, where it spent four weeks, preceded by The Association’s “Windy,” The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” and The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love,” in what has become known as “The Summer of Love.”

Haskell’s string arrangement was present throughout Gentry’s debut album for Capitol, with titles including the flip side “Mississippi Delta” and “Chickasaw County Child.” Gentry teamed up with fellow Capitol artist Glen Campbell for an album of duets and had a pair of cover singles with him that reached the Top 40: “Let It Be Me” and “All I Have to Do is Dream.” Gentry was also in the Top 40 in early 1970, singing her composition “Fancy” which Reba McEntire would successfully cover decades later.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Liz Brasher, very much inspired by retired Bobbie Gentry, spoke with Goldmine about Gentry and her wonderful new sophomore album Baby Damn from Blue Elan Records.

GOLDMINE: Welcome to Goldmine. When I heard songs from your new album, your voice immediately reminded me of Belinda Carlisle, a favorite of mine from the ‘80s, but then I learned that you are inspired by one of my early favorites from the ‘60s, Bobbie Gentry.

LIZ BRASHER: Yes, I love Bobbie Gentry for a couple of reasons. She never fit into the mainstream mold. “Ode to Billie Joe” was massive for her, enabling her to crossover to many genres. She was also more than a singer-songwriter, she also did television, film soundtrack work, and was involved with fashion, and dance, making her an all-around entrepreneur. She was a strong woman from the South, who was making her way in L.A. in the ‘60s, which was a pretty big deal at the time, an inspiration for me to relocate from the South to the L.A. area as well. Her music painted such a vivid image of the South in a way that not a lot of women were doing. My favorite song on Bobbie Gentry’s Ode to Billie Joe album is “Mississippi Delta.” If I had heard that flip side first, I would have said that this song should be the hit side because it grooves so hard. It is so gritty and has a perfect title for the song, too.

Bobbie Gentry

Fabulous Flip Side: Mississippi Delta

A side: Ode to Billie Joe

Billboard Hot 100 debut: August 5, 1967 (reaching No. 1 three weeks later)

Peak position: No. 1 for 4 weeks (No. 7 Adult Contemporary, No. 8 R&B, No. 17 Country)

Capitol 5950

GM: Let’s continue with the California theme. The first song I heard from your new album was “Be in California.” It is so bouncy, and the Blue Horizons Film video for it is so engaging. My friend Matt from England told me it made him want to relocate to California.

LB: Thank you. I wrote this while I was still living in Memphis, before I moved to Orange County, California. I was craving things that I had only experienced on the West Coast like the Pacific Ocean, the desert, different landscapes, festivals with friends, diverse cultures, and food from the area. When I was back in Memphis, I was thinking about wanting to be in California again. We shot the video along the Pacific Ocean in February and captured what I was trying to convey with the song.

GM: The album opens with my favorite song, “Room to Ride.” It is beautiful and mysterious, reminding me of Belinda Carlisle’s “Circle in the Sand.” The echoing guitar sound is wonderful.

LB: We have a couple of guitarists in addition to me on the record. There is David Levita, a wonderful studio and touring guitarist, and we also have Carl Broemel from My Morning Jacket doing a lot of pedal steel guitar playing. Those spooky desert sounds are coming from Carl, adding perfect nuances to the song.

GM: Let’s continue with his pedal steel playing on the title song “Baby Damn” where your vocal delivery has confident control like Blondie’s Debbie Harry. The song is moody, and has a strong, elevating bridge, something that always catches my wife Donna’s ear.

LB: Thank you for commenting on the bridge. We did all the songs in Sunset Sound studio with Joe Chiccarelli producing, who has produced Morrissey, Counting Crows, and others. I didn’t have a bridge for this song, and he suggested that it should have one. I went home to write one, trying to make it flow. I had written the song years ago and I didn’t want the bridge to feel disconnected from the rest of the song. Then I thought it would be Joe’s task to determine how it would sonically fit if I could just present him with a good bridge. It came to me the following night and I played it for him, and he said, “Yes. That’s the bridge that’s needed!”

GM: The chorus on “Broken Again” is catchy and Oliver Kraus’ cello is a key part of the wonderful sound.

LB: Oliver is a phenomenal cellist. When I wrote these songs, I recorded demos, playing all the instruments myself to give a clear roadmap to the future musicians and producer of what I wanted the album to sound like. I wrote this song on the piano with certain notes in mind. The cello part is so haunting that it makes me want to cry. I love it.

GM: There is a fuzz guitar on a pair of songs, “When I Stand” which reminded me a bit of Fanny, and “Pieces” which reminded me of Edwyn Collins’ “A Girl Like You” from the 1995 Empire Records soundtrack.

LB: It’s so cool that you figured out my specific influence. I was obsessed with “A Girl Like You” before I wrote “Pieces.” I was listening to that song for around two weeks on repeat trying to figure out how I could write a song like it. The fuzz guitar playing came from me. I sought out a Mosrite pedal that The Ventures used when playing all their fuzz sounds. I had that along with a pair of more modern pedals and combined them, but I am always trying to capture a ‘60s garage rock fuzz guitar sound.

GM: The album ends with “Lucky,” featuring a fluid guitar with a Memphis sound, recalling the style of the classic Dusty Springfield album, Dusty in Memphis. It also has the nice lyric line, “I’m lucky to have you.”

LB: That is my happy song, focusing on being grateful to have somebody. The guitar was played by Carmen Vandenberg from the band Bones UK, and she is incredible. I was glad to have her on the album. I love her. I look forward to playing these songs live with shows to be announced soon. Thank you so much for telling Goldmine readers about my new album. It has been so good meeting you. 

Related links:

lizbrasher.com

blueelan.com

Fabulous Flip Sides is in its nineth year

goldminemag.com/columns/fabulous-flip-sides

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