Size: 110,9 MB
Time: 47:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2026
Styles: Blues/Roots
Art: Front
1. One Mississippi (3:38)
2. Muddy Waters (2:42)
3. This One Don't (3:26)
4. Didn't I Keep Runnin' (4:19)
5. Go Down Ol' Hannah (3:07)
6. It's A Good Life (3:07)
7. No Clothes On (3:28)
8. Crossroads Marilyn Monroe (3:51)
9. New Window (3:42)
10. If You're Free (3:15)
11. Change (3:50)
12. Waiting On The Sun (2:53)
13. Show Your Love (2:28)
14. We Got To Find A Way (3:48)
Folk and blues legend Eric Bibb has garnered numerous Blues Music Awards Awards and Grammy nominations over the course of five decades and 34 albums. Regarded as a blues legend, his output is consistently strong. One Mississippi is a direct follow-up to 2024’s In the Real World, rendering almost entirely original material with a similar backing cast. Once again, Bibb works with longtime musical director and producer, co-writer, and multi-instrumentalist Glen Scott, along with slide guitarist Robbie McIntosh and fiddler Esbjorn Hazelius. Select tracks draw in strings, background vocalists, and other flourishes. The tracks center around Bibb’s immaculate acoustic guitar and banjo playing, his vocals, and heartfelt lyrics.
The bulk of the songs are in the socio-political vein, especially in the back half of the record. Yet, Bibb offers a balance, aiming his messaging toward peace and unity as opposed to rebellion. In one sense, his smooth vocal delivery and comforting folk blues soften the messages he imparts. Not a single note or vocal is the least bit harsh. He’s a master of unearthing traditional blues idioms, fully aware that most were born from pain and struggle. Marrying those two elements makes him a modern-day griot, prioritizing the role of informer and spokesperson over that of an entertainer. His smooth baritone voice is incomparable; his sound is timeless. Yet he is often overlooked in the States because he records and tours mainly in Europe, as he is based in Sweden.
The leadoff track, “One Mississippi,” is the only one not penned by Bibb. Songwriters Janis Ian and Fred Koller are the writers. The shuffling tune plays on colloquial “One Mississippi, Two Mississippi’ but never reaches ‘three.” The chorus - “One Mississippi is a long time/gone in the blink of an eye” - suggests a refusal to honor the heritage of the blues. The remaining baker’s dozen are Bibb’s, beginning with the back porch swagger of “Muddy Waters,” featuring Paul Jones on blues harp. Sven Lundvall on tuba. The tune is practically a reply to the former, with Bibb stating that he is blues no matter where he goes. The one chord based “This One Don’t” follows seamlessly with Greger Andersson on the blues harp. “Didn’t I Keep Running” features Bibb on a 6-string banjo singing about a Black running away during the slavery period, although we could apply it to other situations. “Go Down Ol’ Hannah” is of the same ilk. It reads like a Negro spiritual.
The tone changes with the optimistic “It’s a Good Life,” with Bibb telling us to count our blessings. Yet, Bibb abruptly changes course in “No Clothes On,” decrying the vanity of our leaders and their willingness to rewrite or erase history. “Crossroad Marilyn Monroe,” imbued by McIntosh’s stinging electric guitar solo, is a pivotal track. It tells the horrific story of a woman who lied on the stand, resulting in the freedom of Emmet Till’s murderers. In the last few verses, Bibb says the woman admitted to lying 50 years later, making the salient point that the truth will set you free. In “New Window,” Bibb moves quickly from the hate crime of someone throwing a brick through a window to viewing a new, more harmonious world through the replaced window. “If You’re Free” is thematically similar to “It’s Good Life,” while Bibb points out those less fortunate.
The foot tapping “Change,” punctuated by the electric guitars of McIntosh and Staffan Astner and backing vocals of Shaneeka Simon, is a song of determination, much like “A Change Is Gonna Come” in spirit, with Bibb saying, “We’re gonna change/If we wanna change or not.” “Waiting on the Sun,” with McIntosh’s burning slide, breathes peaceful activism, urging us to help one another, rather than remaining passive. Rounding out this sequence of songs are “Show Your Love” and “We Got to Find a Way,” deliberate calls for unity. Producer Scott decorates these mostly acoustic tunes with a contemporary edge by employing electric guitars and an array of keyboards. Yet, lyrically Bibb remains the prototypical blues/folk singer, mostly urging social justice. Few, if any, do it better. /Jim Hynes, Rock & Blues Muse
The bulk of the songs are in the socio-political vein, especially in the back half of the record. Yet, Bibb offers a balance, aiming his messaging toward peace and unity as opposed to rebellion. In one sense, his smooth vocal delivery and comforting folk blues soften the messages he imparts. Not a single note or vocal is the least bit harsh. He’s a master of unearthing traditional blues idioms, fully aware that most were born from pain and struggle. Marrying those two elements makes him a modern-day griot, prioritizing the role of informer and spokesperson over that of an entertainer. His smooth baritone voice is incomparable; his sound is timeless. Yet he is often overlooked in the States because he records and tours mainly in Europe, as he is based in Sweden.
The leadoff track, “One Mississippi,” is the only one not penned by Bibb. Songwriters Janis Ian and Fred Koller are the writers. The shuffling tune plays on colloquial “One Mississippi, Two Mississippi’ but never reaches ‘three.” The chorus - “One Mississippi is a long time/gone in the blink of an eye” - suggests a refusal to honor the heritage of the blues. The remaining baker’s dozen are Bibb’s, beginning with the back porch swagger of “Muddy Waters,” featuring Paul Jones on blues harp. Sven Lundvall on tuba. The tune is practically a reply to the former, with Bibb stating that he is blues no matter where he goes. The one chord based “This One Don’t” follows seamlessly with Greger Andersson on the blues harp. “Didn’t I Keep Running” features Bibb on a 6-string banjo singing about a Black running away during the slavery period, although we could apply it to other situations. “Go Down Ol’ Hannah” is of the same ilk. It reads like a Negro spiritual.
The tone changes with the optimistic “It’s a Good Life,” with Bibb telling us to count our blessings. Yet, Bibb abruptly changes course in “No Clothes On,” decrying the vanity of our leaders and their willingness to rewrite or erase history. “Crossroad Marilyn Monroe,” imbued by McIntosh’s stinging electric guitar solo, is a pivotal track. It tells the horrific story of a woman who lied on the stand, resulting in the freedom of Emmet Till’s murderers. In the last few verses, Bibb says the woman admitted to lying 50 years later, making the salient point that the truth will set you free. In “New Window,” Bibb moves quickly from the hate crime of someone throwing a brick through a window to viewing a new, more harmonious world through the replaced window. “If You’re Free” is thematically similar to “It’s Good Life,” while Bibb points out those less fortunate.
The foot tapping “Change,” punctuated by the electric guitars of McIntosh and Staffan Astner and backing vocals of Shaneeka Simon, is a song of determination, much like “A Change Is Gonna Come” in spirit, with Bibb saying, “We’re gonna change/If we wanna change or not.” “Waiting on the Sun,” with McIntosh’s burning slide, breathes peaceful activism, urging us to help one another, rather than remaining passive. Rounding out this sequence of songs are “Show Your Love” and “We Got to Find a Way,” deliberate calls for unity. Producer Scott decorates these mostly acoustic tunes with a contemporary edge by employing electric guitars and an array of keyboards. Yet, lyrically Bibb remains the prototypical blues/folk singer, mostly urging social justice. Few, if any, do it better. /Jim Hynes, Rock & Blues Muse
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