At his best, and this is definitely his best, Eric Bibb is one of the finest exponents of the music we call Blues. On this outing, he plays some classic Blues numbers, as well as a good number of his own, backed by some superb musicians, and delivers them in his own style. Bibb grew up in the midst of the turmoil of the sixties. His father was an activist and young Eric grew up around the likes of Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger – core to the Greenwich Village folk scene. He was also heavily influenced by Odetta, Ritchie Havens and Taj Mahal who brought him the Blues.
He plays acoustic guitar and sings with a resonant and clearly defined voice. It has been said that in order to understand the lyrics to some of the great Blues numbers you need subtitles. Bibb’s clarity of vocal is that subtitle, and when he does a number like ‘Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad’ or ‘Silver Spoon’ you understand every word and every emotion that has been built into that hoary classic.
There are some magnificent numbers here: ‘Rosewood’ , a first person account of the burning down of a black township in Florida, is chilling and stark. ‘Bring Me A Little Water, Sylvie’ is a Lead Belly classic folk Blues, ‘500 Miles’ an old traditional Blues with a brilliant arrangement by Bibb and Glen Scott. The musicians with him on this album are all top class and leaders in their own right. Glen Scott on bass, keys and drums is a long time collaborator, Olle Linder delivers drums and acoustic bass, Johan Lindstrom plays pedal steel, Christer Lyssarides gives electric guitar and mandolin, Esbjorn Hazelius plays fiddle and cittern, Greger Andersson on harp and Lamine Cissoko on kora. I’ve seen Bibb live in concert a few times, either solo or with a band, and hearing this, I wish I had been at the concert: 10 tracks of music that speak to the heart and soul of any thinking human. Fabulous.
