Dear America

Description

If you could make a call to your country, what would you say? With the title track of his latest album, "Dear America," the songwriter found himself unpacking a seven-decade relationship with a partner of extreme behaviors. Eric Bibb has experienced many different Americas: the good, the brutal, and the shady.
Born in New York on August 16, 1951, the lightning strike of the 60s folk revival remains a very vivid time in his memory. Yet, just as tenacious are the dark periods of this society, like last year, when protesters highlighted the open wound of racial relations in the United States while a bitter presidential election exacerbated torn battle lines. This album is a love letter because America, for all its associations with pain and its bloody history, has nevertheless always been, despite everything, a place of incredible hope and optimism.
The album was recorded, before the pandemic closed the studios, at Brooklyn's Studio G with producer/co-writer Glen Scott, as well as a studio band including drummer Steve Jordan and the sensational Memphis guitarist Eric Gales. The chemistry of "Dear America" is palpable, each musician playing with strong emotional commitment. The result is a thoughtful record that takes the pulse of these feverish times while bringing the songwriter back to his proud New York roots. "I live in Sweden," says Bibb, "But it's in New York that I grew up. So being there to record this album that has so much to do with my whole journey - it was truly inspiring." And, just as the history of the United States is both bright and dark, "Dear America" is a record that intertwines the issues poisoning the nation with hope, love, and a brighter road. All is not lost, Bibb emphasizes, and neither are we.