Jericho Road

Jericho Road takes folk/blues artist Eric Bibb back to the days of American slavery before moving on to modern-day struggles and dreams of the future. Bibb makes his trans-cultural message of dignity and liberation go down easy thanks to his warm baritone and downhome fingerpicking. Central to these songs (all but one cowritten by Bibb) is the theme of the Promised Land, a place found both on the map and in the human heart. The questing spirit captured in the traditional folk tune “Drinkin’ Gourd” is echoed in “Have a Heart,” “Freedom Train," and “One Day at a Time.” The moody “Death Row Blues” looks at freedom from a prisoner’s perspective, while “With My Maker I Am One” takes an expansive view of mankind’s essential unity. There’s a strong gospel undercurrent, lending tracks like “The Lord’s Work” and “She Got Mine” a gentle spiritual authority. Bibb and producer Glen Scott use a wide variety of colors to make the album sonically vivid, blending African and Middle Eastern instrumentation with ‘70s-style R&B grooves and a touch of rock guitar.