Painting Signs
| Painting Signs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Manhaton/EarthBeat! | |||
| Producer | Dave Bronze | |||
| Eric Bibbchronology | ||||
| ||||
Painting Signsis an album by the American-born musicianEric Bibb,released in 2001.[1][2]It peaked at No. 10 on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart.[3]Bibb supported the album with a UK tour and shows in North America opening forRobert Cray.[4][5]After theSeptember 11 attacks,"Hope in a Hopeless World" was released as a single, with royalties earmarked for theAmerican Red Cross.[6]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Dave Bronze.[7]"Angel"is a cover of theJimi Hendrixsong.[8]"Honest I Do" was written byJimmy Reed.[9]"Hope in a Hopeless World" is a version of theRoebuck Staplessong; the album is dedicated to him.[10]"Delia's Gone"is an interpretation of the folk song.[11]"I Heard the Angels Singing" was written byReverend Gary Davis.[12]Wilson Pickettsang on "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down".[13]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [15] |
| Tucson Citizen | A+[16] |
The Guardianwrote: "Blessed with a light, flexible voice that can plumb growling depths when required, Bibb interprets his remit as broadly as possible."[8]The Mirrorsaid that Bibb's "delta blues style is beautifully delicate and detailed, soft curling guitar lines topped off with rich, sweet conversational vocals."[17]The Vancouver Sunnoted that Bibb "does some neat finger-picking on 'Delia's Gone', and his 'To Know You' makes good use of mandolin and accordion."[18]
The Sun-Heraldstated that "the nimble-fingered Bibb and his supple, skilled band lay on a rootsy buffet that takes in acoustic blues, cruisy R&B, honky tonk and gospel."[19]TheChicago Tribuneopined that the album "compares favorably to [Taj] Mahal's and Cray's best."[20]The GazettelistedPainting Signsas the eighth best blues album of 2001.[21]
AllMusicwrote that "Bibb makes a fine case for blues as a music of introspection, warmth, and supreme nuance."[9]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kokomo" | |
| 2. | "Hope in a Hopeless World" | |
| 3. | "Five Miles Above" | |
| 4. | "I Heard the Angels Singing" | |
| 5. | "Delia's Gone" | |
| 6. | "Got to Do Better" | |
| 7. | "The Light Was Worth the Candle" | |
| 8. | "Angel" | |
| 9. | "Walkin' Home" | |
| 10. | "To Know You" | |
| 11. | "Honest I Do" | |
| 12. | "Paintin' Signs" | |
| 13. | "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" |
References
[edit]- ^Johnstone, Doug (10 May 2001). "Best Bibb and plucker".Edinburgh Evening News.p. 4.
- ^Trapp, Roger (19 May 2001). "Jazz & Blues". Features.The Independent.p. 40.
- ^"Eric Bibb".Official Charts.Retrieved12 January2024.
- ^Yeats, David (18 May 2001). "Bibb bringing the blues back to life".Birmingham Evening Mail.p. 62.
- ^Levesque, Roger (12 Sep 2001). "Architecture's loss was music's gain".Edmonton Journal.p. G2.
- ^Sylvester, Bruce (Nov 16, 2001). "Eric Bibb Painting Signs".Goldmine.Vol. 27, no. 23. p. 19.
- ^"Painting Signs".Billboard.Vol. 113, no. 35. Sep 1, 2001. p. 22.
- ^abcSweeting, Adam (4 May 2001). "Eric Bibb Painting Signs". Friday.The Guardian.p. 17.
- ^abc"Painting Signs Review by Kenneth Bays".AllMusic.Retrieved12 January2024.
- ^Whishaw, John (15 May 2001). "Shot in the arm for the blues".Birmingham Post.p. 12.
- ^The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad.W.W. Norton. 2005. p. 370.
- ^McKenzie, Simon (18 May 2001). "Blues".The Scotsman.p. 12.
- ^Danton, Eric R. (20 Sep 2001). "Painting Signs Eric Bibb". Calendar.Hartford Courant.p. 6.
- ^Larkin, Colin (2011).The Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Omnibus Press.
- ^The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings.Penguin. 2006. p. 37.
- ^"Eric Bibb: 'Painting Signs'".Tucson Citizen.11 Aug 2001. p. 2D.
- ^Martin, Gavin (1 June 2001). "Eric Bibb Painting Signs". Features.The Mirror.p. 17.
- ^Andrews, Marke (1 Nov 2001). "Painting Signs".The Vancouver Sun.p. C8.
- ^Holmes, Peter (4 Nov 2001). "Eric Bibb Painting Signs". Metro.The Sun-Herald.p. 11.
- ^Reger, Rick (25 Jan 2002). "Eric Bibb". Friday.Chicago Tribune.p. 19.
- ^Regenstreif, Mike (29 Dec 2001). "Blues".The Gazette.p. D7.