Eric Bibb - Booker's Guitar

Eric Bibb is back with his latest album, Booker's Guitar, a truly heartfelt ode to more than the titular Booker White, but to the American heritage and history that lies in the blues.

Listen while you read:

Please download Flash to view this audio player.

Please download Flash to view this audio player.

The title track Booker's Guitar -- performed with a delicate touch on Booker White's own resonator guitar -- sets the mood for a sparse-yet-rich 50 minute adventure.

Following in the footsteps of many of the early greats of blues, Bibb has penned his own recount of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 in Flood Water. Sharing the same imagery of Bob Dylan's own 2001 ode to the Great Flood, "High Water (For Charley Patton)"; the differences between Bibb's lingering acoustic blues number and Dylan's frantic hoedown make them perfect companions. One has the feeling that lyrical similaries highlight two artists with a love and appreciation for the song traditions that came before them. Flood Water is a stark gospel track, interjecting verses with cutting harmonica provided by Grant Dermody, taking an eerily slow course over four-and-a-half minutes that seem to linger. It's a flavour of blues that appears again with the stark Wayfaring Stranger, a brilliant rendition of a traditional that sees Bibb's voice echo the depth and richness of his father Leon Bibb.

Eric Bibb is a true master of capturing the simple pleasures in life. Tracks like "Panama Hat", "Dr Shine" and "Pockets" have captured these delights perfectly and are adored by fans across the globe. The breezy Rocking Chair followed by Turning Pages, an ode to the bibliophile, form an uplifting duo towards the end of Booker's Guitar. A Good Woman follows, bringing with it Dermody's most restrained harmonica contributions of the album.

Tell Riley, originally appearing on Bibb's 2003 album Natural Light accompanied by a full band, is back in acoustic form. The ode to B.B. King -- a fitting inclusion given King's relation to Booker White -- lovingly capstones White's life and segues into King's generation that were the living, breathing blues that Bibb grew up with.

There's perhaps no other album in Bibb's sprawling back catalogue that better evokes the ghosts of blues that Bibb has devoted his career reviving. A delightful repree from his recent albums that have taken on a fuller band sound, hearing Bibb strip it back to acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica accompaniment. Bibb's guitar playing has never been warmer, his voice never more soulful and his songwriting never sharper. Unassuming and having very humble ambitions, Booker's Guitar might be Eric Bibb's best album to date.