We can’t think of another bluesman or woman as consistently good at what they do as Eric Bibb; although his music may not always be the flashiest or provide for the most diverse of sets, there’s probably nothing that we’ve heard from the folk-bluesman over the decades that we haven’t appreciated and liked, and his latest album Dear America (Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group) is no exception.
Here’s our favorite track from the album, the creeping, slightly haunting “Whole World’s Got the Blues” that also features guitarist and singer Eric Gales:
And the rest of the album is all just as solid, devoid of any tracks you’ll want to skip or gloss over; from the grooving “Different Picture” with pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell and chugging “Talkin’ ‘Bout A Train, Part 1” featuring Billy Branch on harmonica, to the more R&B version of that song’s “Part 2”, the touching duet “One-Ness of Love” with Lisa Mills that closes the album, and the airy, swaying “Tell Yourself”, one of several songs here that delivers a strong message, with Bibb also tackling such topics as respect for women (“Born of a Woman”), hatred (the album’s title track), racial injustice (“Emmett’s Ghost”), and making time to reflect (“Along the Way”), it’s all some pretty good stuff and definitely worth checking out!