Eric Bibb

Bibb, the son of ’50s-era folksinger Leon Bibb, has followed a steady course over the past few years, and fans of his earlier work won’t be disappointed with this, his eighth CD. A soulful singer, the 52 year-old guitarist continues to mix (to quote the liner notes) “spirituals, work songs, blues, ragtime, gospel, bluegrass, Zydeco and soul music,” and in the 13 tracks here he finds a place for all of them. From the bursting-at-the-seams “Too Much Stuff” (“bought a big TV…an’ a DVD”), the bluesy “Home Lovin’ Man” (“just trying to make these bad times feel good”), Randy Newman’s “Every Time It Rains” to the closing “Higher and Higher,” a spiritual flavored celebration of earthly love (“your love keeps lifting me higher and higher”), Bibb et al. have crafted a delightful tour de force.