Tony Joe White sings in a deep rumble and favors the low end of his guitar. Best known for his song-writing and as the progenitor of swamp rock, White has an earthy quality and sounds deadly serious when he perform his music, which cuts across country, blues, rock, and soul. On Heroines (Sanctuary), his latest release, White balances his low rumbling with the voices of females artists, like Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Shelby Lynne and Jessi Colter, that have worked with him and inspired him in the past.

Every the gentleman, White lets the lady go first. Shelby Lynne, who won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2001, sings "You Can't Go Back Home" with a voice as world weary as White's. They're like two travelers swapping stories after a long journey. Lucinda William adds sultriness to "Closing in on the Fire," where one husky voice flirtatious overlaps the other and a punchy horn section creates a sense of urgency. On "Wild Wolf Calling Me," when White sings about resting on a high mountain and Emmylou Harris recounts her grandmother's dying words, the simple song gains the gravity of a country gospel number that the Carter Family might sing.

White is least convincing when he tries to relax. It's hard to believe that anyone who sounds this tightly wound would kick back and "watch the river flow," as he recommends on "Back Porch Therapy." White's duet with his daughter, "Playa del Carmen Nights," veers dangerously close to a Jimmy Buffet reverie of sun and booze. The female voice makes the memories of a Mexican beach sound too wistful, but when White's rough voice recalls a "pack of wild dogs" that invaded their party a dark note enters that saves the song. "I think this is good as it's going to get," White sings, sounding more resigned than satisfied.

Tony Joe White has written an album of tough material on The Heroines and found collaborators who added an extra dose of gritty soul. These women are at top of their game, and Tony Joe White proves that after thirty years in the music business he's still a force to be reckoned with.

Also posted at A Frolic of My Own.

H.W. Saxton recently posted a retrospective on the career of Tony Joe White.