Crazy Backing Bands Dept.

News broke a couple weeks ago that Booker T. Jones, he of legendary Stax session band Booker T. and the MG's, would be releasing a new album in the coming months. The shocking part of this, to me at least, is that he'd be recording with a band comprised of members of Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young. Today Pitchfork has a stream of a track from the album called "Warped Sister," and it's surprising to say the least. It has the in-the-pocket drumming you'd expect from a Booker T. project, and the man's organs are front and center but the real shock comes from the gritty guitar that leads you into the song. It drops to the background once Booker T.'s organ arrives, but the two mesh together throughout the song, giving it an almost grungy feel. A welcome surprise that does much to underscore how at home Booker T. can sound even outside the soul genre he's helped define. That organ's a lot like Nutella: you could spread it on a gym sock and it'd still make your mouth water. Potato Hole drops 4/21 on Anti records.

"Warped Sister" stream [p4k]
Booker T. Jones [official website]