In the Real World in Bloomington, MN

In a career entering its sixth decade,
Eric Bibb
is in top form. 2023's Grammy-nominated
Ridin'
, April's
Live at the Scala Theatre
, and 2021's
Dear America
all proved essential and edifying.
In the Real World
is no exception. Like
, it contains 15 songs spanning an hour.
Bibb
and longtime musical partner
Glen Scott
(producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist) helmed the sessions at
Peter Gabriel
's Real World Studios with an international cast of collaborators that includes a string quartet, a fiddler, a gospel-inspired backing chorus, and a guest spot by actress/vocalist
Lily James
. The album is poignant, alternating between tension, narrative reflection, and hope. "Taking the Stage" is the opening (and longest) track here. While the song's melody and lyrics are pure
, it reflects the influences of
Mississippi John Hurt
and
Taj Mahal
. Part folk song, part spiritual, part blues,
's protagonist reflects on the world of the present: burning, crumbling, violent, filled with fear, pain, and rage, but he also points to a new world of freedom emerging.
's fingerpicked acoustic is backed by electric slide, B-3, and gentle backing vocals. "Walking Steady On" is a spiritual blues.
's banjo and steel strings are backed by thudding kickdrums, tom-toms, and organ. He references trouble in the present before the "fire next time" that arrives to tear the world asunder. His exhortation to ¿"keep walkin' in the gospel way," is the path to the new world referred to in the previous song. "Best I Can" is a sparse folk-blues delivered with canny melodic skill and a subtly arranged string section. "Everybody's Got a Right" and "Make a Change" are drenched in country/urban blues and rhythms, with entwining guitars -- acoustic, electric, and slide -- underscoring the prophetic authority in
's vocal. "This River" is a haunted gospel-blues showcasing
Esbjörn Hazelius
' fiddle and a soulful women's chorus ad libbing. "Stealin' Home" is a sung blues narrative about
Jackie Robinson
. "If There's Any Rule" is a lithe, rocking, Americana tune; the lyric is painted by a marching snare,
Hazelius
' fiddle,
Robbie McIntosh
's resonant slide guitar, and a faraway piano. Its message, "If there is any rule we're born to follow/It's love each other/If any rule is gonna guarantee tomorrow/It's love.¿" The harrowing Delta blues narrative in "King of the Castle" carries a single vamp played by the band; its composition recalls
Howlin' Wolf
, its guitar sounds
Tom Waits
. "Dear Mavis" is country-blues offered in homage and tribute to
Mavis Staples
. On the dreamy, gorgeous title track,
melds modern blues, contemporary R&B, and strings as he sings, "In the real world, there's no fine print/All is clear, all is fair." The set-closer, "Victory Voices," is an uplifting pop song with
duetting. Its lyric subject is an affirmation of a pure new world.
displays all of
's gifts on a single album as a lyricist, guitarist, blues stylist, music historian, and contemporary singer/songwriter. At once poignant and hopeful,
has upped his own creative ante here. ~ Thom Jurek