Eric Bibb

Eric Bibb - An Evening With Eric Bibb - 2007 - M.C. Records

"Bibb's music is a fluid combination of acoustic, blues, folk, and gospel. His vocal delivery is at once smooth and gritty, and conveys his message with richness and warmth. © " Dirty Linen (p.47), www.fishpond.co.nz/Music/Folk/General/product_info/11611766/
A great album from Eric Bibb. This album is full of old fashioned blues, with a Gospel edge. Eric was inspired and influenced by Odetta, Richie Havens, Pete Seeger, Earl Robinson, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins and many others. One critic has written that , “Eric’s singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genes to become a New World Blues.” Listen to the "Sisters & Brothers" album, a marvellous gospel-flavored blues collaboration that also features musical soulmates Rory Block and Maria Muldaur, and check out his brilliant "Diamond Days" album @ EBIBB/DDAYS

TRACKS

01. Good Stuff
02. Shingle by Shingle
03. Needed Time
04. Lonesome Valley
05. Don't Ever Let Your Spirit Down
06. Sebastian's Tune
07. Got to Do Better
08. Panama Hat
09. To Know You Is to Love You
10. No More on the Brazos
11. Right on Time
12. For You
13. In My Father's House
14. I Heard the Angels Singing

Recorded in 2002 at the renowned Basement Club, in Sydney, Australia.

MUSICIANS

Eric Bibb (guitar)
Dave Bronze (bass guitar)

REVIEWS

Eric Bibb’s “Evening with Eric Bibb” is a live album from a performer that comes from a talented musical clan. His father was a trained singer and his uncle was a famous jazz pianist, so Bibb was born to be an entertainer and he does so masterfully. The vigor Bibb brings to the album is exhibited through the appreciation shown by the audience’s applause. On “Needed Time” Bibb opens the song by telling the crowd how the song originated and who brought it to his attention. He then breaks right into sweet and unhurried guitar strumming as he emotes soulful lines such as, “Right now is a needed time. Is a needed time. Now is the needed time…I’m down on my bended knees.” This song could be taken as a declaration of love by some listeners or a pronouncement for immediate changes. “Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down” has a groovy rhythm to it combined with Bibb’s bluesy vocals for a track that informs listeners to never allow anyone to make them feel like the are not worthy. “You might slip. You might slide. You might stumble and fall by the roadside. But don’t you ever let nobody drag your spirit down.” This song seems to be an anthem by Bibb to his listeners to stand up and fight against anyone who threatens their self worth. With “Got To Do Better” Bibb introduces the song as one he came up with while watching the state of the world unraveling. The track talks about the upheaval that Bibb has seen documented on many newscasts. “Generation after generation raised in bitter tears. Confrontation after confrontation for too many years. Politicians gettin’ nowhere. Peace talks breakin’ down…We got to do better when it comes to the golden rule.” “Evening with Eric Bibb,” from Eric Bibb, is a breath of fresh air for lovers of good old fashioned blues with that bubbly live ingredient. Bibb’s affective timbre will touch listeners and make them get down into the thick of things right along with Bibb. © Sari N. Kent, © 1995-2008 by TheCelebrityCafe.com

Given his widespread club and festival performance reputation, it's surprising that folk/bluesman Eric Bibb has not released a live CD until now. On this 14-track set, recorded five years ago at Sydney, Australia's, renowned Basement Club, with only the lightly amplified bass work of his longtime associate Dave Bronze for accompaniment, Bibb offers animated versions of ten originals, a trio of reworked traditional songs (including the gospel-rooted "Needed Time" and the wrenching prison blues "No More Cane On The Brazos," which he learned from Odetta) and closes with a driving, handclapping rendition of one of Rev. Gary Davis' sanctified classics, "I Heard The Angels Singing." Bibb also casually personalizes affairs with brief but insightful introductions to most of the songs. Obvious Bibb-authored fan favorites that March evening comprise a forthright "Don't Ever Let Your Spirit Down" (dedicated to the memory of his famed godfather Paul Robeson), the encouraging social commentary "Got To Do Better," a breezy number about his trademark Panama hat and the Piedmont-styled "Right On Time" that pays tribute to another of his folk-blues heroes, John Cephas. A soulful love ballad "To Know You Is To Love You" and the brief, bouncy in strumental "Sebastian's Tune" (written for his then ten year-old son) along with a spirited, resolutely percussive version of the profoundly poetic love cry "In My Father's House," that remains a part of Bibbs' repertoire to this day, further reveal his versatility and roots-grounded sensibilities. As the house full of Aussies in attendance would say, "this one's a pearler!" © 2008 Sing Out Corporation, © 2008 Gale Group

ABOUT ERIC BIBB



Eric Bibb's music is a rich blend of the blues with elements of folk, country, gospel, and soul, thanks in part to his being the son of New York folksinger Leon Bibb, which afforded young Eric exposure to a wide variety of music and opportunities to meet performers like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. Bibb launched his career in Europe, performing at blues and folk festivals in London, Cambridge, and Dublin, sometimes with a full band and sometimes with slide guitarist Göran Wennerbrandt; he eventually settled permanently in Sweden, where he works as a music and voice teacher when not performing. Bibb's debut album, Good Stuff, was released in Europe in 1997 and the U.S. a year later; it was followed by Shakin' a Tailfeather in 1998, which featured producer Linda Tillery and a guest appearance by Taj Mahal. Home to Me arrived in 2000 and the enchanting Painting Signs followed the next summer. Natural Light appeared in 2003. This album was merely a prep for Friends, a star-studded cavalcade of performers and engineers that included Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Malian session aces Mamadou Diabate and Djelimady Tounkara, Martin Simpson, Kristina Olsen, Jerry Yester, and others. This record, far from being an overblown affair loaded with guests to cover a lack of imagination in song selection, is instead a virtual blueprint in how these outings should be done in the future. Its intimacy, warmth, and stellar execution make it one of Bibb's best. A Ship Called Love, dedicated to Curtis Mayfield, was released in 2005, and later that same year a single-disc retrospective, Livin', Lovin' and Doin', appeared from Hatman Records. The elegant Diamond Days arrived from Telarc Records in 2007. © Steve Huey & Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

BIO (Wikipedia)

Eric Bibb was born in New York, NY August 16, 1951 is an American acoustic blues singer/songwriter who is based in London, and launched his career in Europe. Eric's father, Leon Bibb, is a singer in musical theatre who made a name for himself as part of the 1960's New York folk scene. His uncle was the world famous Jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, Odetta and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Eric's godfather. Eric was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar aged seven. Growing up surrounded by talent, Eric recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing advised the 11-year-old Eric to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff". Eric Bibb remembers from his early teen years; "I would cut school and claim I was sick. When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, the New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White." At 16 years old, Eric's father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show "Someone New". Bill Lee, who played bass in this band, was later to appear on Eric's albums "Me To You" and "Friends". In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's place in New York. He went on to study Psychology and Russian at Columbia University, but did not finish these studies. Aged 19, Eric left for Paris, where he met guitarist Mickey Baker who focused his interest in blues guitar. He moved to Sweden and lived in Stockholm, where he immersed himself in pre-war blues and the newly discovered World Music scene, while he continued to write and perform. The album "Good Stuff" was released in 1997 on Opus 3 and American label Earthbeat. Eric signed to the British based Code Blue label, but only released one album: "Me to You", featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes: Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal. This was followed by tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany. In the late 90's Eric joined forces with his then manager Alan Robinson, to form Manhaton Records, in Britain. The albums "Home to Me" (1999), "Roadworks" (2000) and "Painting Signs" (2001) followed, as did another Opus 3 release, "Just Like Love". After that, "A Family Affair" (2002) - the first ever album recorded together by father and son - Leon & Eric Bibb. "Natural Light" then "Friends" - 15 tracks featuring Eric duetting with friends and musicians he has met on his travels such as Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Mamadou Diabate and Djelimady Toukara. Eric has appeared on major TV and radio shows including Later with Jools Holland and The Late Late Show. Eric and his band have played at most of the world's major festivals including Glastonbury (twice) and the Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK. He joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tours in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Bonnie Raitt on a recent UK tour, and Ray Charles in the summer of 2002. In 2005 "A Ship Called Love" (Telarc CD-83629) was released and Eric went on another successful world tour, including a major 30-date US tour with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Robben Ford . "A Ship Called Love" was nominated for Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2006 Blues Music Awards. In 2006 "Praising Peace" the Leon Bibb/Eric Bibb tribute to Paul Robeson, was released on Stony Plain Records. While in September "Diamond Days" was also released (Telarc CD-83660). It was produced by Glen Scott and recorded in UK, Sweden and Canada. It includes a live recording of 'In My Father's House' featuring Eric's long-time recording and touring partner Dave Bronze (Eric Clapton Band). As usual, there is a world tour resulting from this release. Eric's talent for both performing and songwriting has been recognised with a Grammy Nomination (for "Shakin' a Tailfeather") and 4 W. C. Handy Award nominations (for the albums "Spirit and the Blues" and "Home To Me"; for 'Kokomo' as Best Acoustic Blues Song of the Year, and for Best Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year). His songs have featured on TV shows such as BBC TV's Eastenders and Casualty, and The District in the USA. Eric's version of I Heard the Angels Singin was included in the feature film 'The Burial Society' and Eric appears on Jools Holland's double platinum-selling album "Small World, Big Band", singing his own composition 'All That You Are'. In Australia, Eric has appeared several times on ABC national television on the 'Live At The Basement' series. Eric has an ability to meld traditional blues styles with more contemporary sounds. As one critic put it "Eric's singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genres to become a New World Blues". "Eric is one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music" - Taj Mahal