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FREE NEWS LETTER>
Review Sydney Morning Herald by John Shand
May 13, 2009
ERIC BIBB
Enmore Theatre, April 2. 2009
Reviewed by John Shand
The woman behind me spent the entire show begging Eric Bibb to perform 'For You', a song which one didn't need to eavesdrop to learn was played at her wedding. When he finally sang it as an encore, she cried. The song had its desired effect.
Others may have come because blues artists are dying out, and Bibb is one of the few African Americans under 60 to champion this music, even it's wrapped up in his eclectic mix of country,gospel, folk and r'n'b. Others still may love the effortless velvety voice that rides the sudden stings from his singing acoustic guitar, or just like his innate charm.
Yet sometimes Bibb plays at being a singer rather that living it, so his very geniality seems to get in the way of the songs being anything more than pleasant or, worse, nice. The difference was obvious when he hurled himself into the Reverend Gary Davis's 'I Heard the Angels Sing' with such raw power that, dammit, I heard them, too. Great choirs of them, and it was exhilarating: Bibb bellowing out the words, his voice as big as a church, while a collective tingle ran down the audience's spine.
In fact there were two angels right on stage, in the form of bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Larry Crockett, and sometimes Bibb seemed like a passenger on this own soul train. Crockett was all snappy wrists and feel good grooves, while Thompson unobtrusively proved again that he is one of the world's great musicians: his bass growling beneath 'Still Livin' On', and lifting 'Connected' and 'Needed Time' with glorious little solos.
Why does Bibb not make more use of this fabulous resource? Given that he doesn't really solo, himself, to have a master improviser there and only give him two features (and then almost drown him out) is baffling. Perhaps he has a little more growing to do as an artist, even if he is already a very decent and talented man.
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