If you could call out to your country, what would you say? When Eric Bibb embarked on the title song that would galvanize his latest album, ‘Dear America’, the songwriter found himself unpacking a seven-decade relationship with a partner of dramatic extremes. Bibb has known many different Americas – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Born in New York City on August 16th, 1951, the thunderbolt of the Sixties folk revival remains an era so alive in the 69-year-old’s memory. Yet just as vivid are the dark societal flashpoints of the last year when protesters highlighted the open wound of US race relations while a bitter Presidential election scrawled jagged battlelines.

And yet, just as the history of the United States has both light and shade, so does ‘Dear America’. It’s a record that laces its exploration of the nation’s most poisonous issues with hope, love, and a brighter road ahead. All is not lost, stresses Bibb, and neither are we. Bibb leaves no doubt that the future is ours to write.

Recorded before the pandemic shuttered the world’s recording studios, the chemistry on ‘Dear America’ is palpable, with each musician playing with the emotional commitment demanded by the material.

01. Whole Lotta Lovin’ (feat. Ron Carter) / 02. Born Of A Woman (feat. Shaneeka Simon) / 03. Whole World’s Got The Blues (feat. Eric Gales) / 04. Dear America / 05. Different Picture (feat. Chuck Campbell) / 06. Tell Yourself / 07. Emmett’s Ghost (feat. Ron Carter) / 08. White & Black / 09. Along The Way / 10. Talkin’ ‘Bout A Train, Pt. 1 (feat. Billy Branch) / 11. Talkin’ ‘Bout A Train, Pt. 2 / 12. Love’s Kingdom (feat. Tommy Sims & Glen Scott) / 13. One-ness Of Love (feat. Lisa Mills)