Eric Bibb – Blues, Ballads & Work Songs / Opus 3 Records

Just in time for his 60th birthday, Eric Bibb returns to Opus 3 Records, the Swedish label that discovered and promoted him! His debut album, “Rainbow People”, released by Opus 3 in 1977, put an artist on the map who went on to

celebrate his international breakthrough in 1994 with “Spirit & The Blues”, also released by Opus 3. Two more best-selling albums followed on the renowned Swedish label: “Good Stuff” and “Just Like Love.” “Blues, Ballads & Work Songs”

also marks a return to Bibb's musical roots. At the same time, he fulfills his long-cherished wish for a purist concept album on which we can experience a mature artist: whether loud, quiet, angry or with a wink – Eric Bibb always strikes the

right note in his own unique way. Bibb's unmistakable voice and his dexterity on the guitar give you goosebumps time and time again. Many reviewers and audiophiles believe that “Blues, Ballads & Work Songs” is the most beautiful album

Eric Bibb has recorded to date and the best recording Jan-Eric Persson has ever made. Marco Kolks in Hörerlebnis 78 (January 2012): “Blues, Ballads And Work Songs” is a must-have album for its audiophile sound quality alone!”

In addition to using the exact same tube stereo microphone that was used for the 1977 recordings of “Rainbow People,” this recording captivates with its extreme live character and naturalness. The LP (180-gram vinyl, 33 RPM), which boasts

outstanding sound quality, was pressed by Optimal Media. Andreas “Lupo” Lubich (Calyx Mastering, Berlin) is responsible for the lacquer disc cutting.

MUSICIANS

Eric Bibb: guitar, vocals
Roger Ekman: Höfner violin bass, Vintage 63 (B5 & B6)
Kabanga "Master Vumbi" Dekula: electric guitar (B5)
Bo Juhlin: sousaphone (B7)
Christer Lyssarides: slide guitar (B6), mandola (B7)
Svante Drake: mouth-percussion (B5 & B6)

Opus 3 is an independent Swedish music label dedicated to recording timeless acoustic music such as jazz, blues, folk and classical. Founded in late 1976 by sound engineer Jan-Eric Persson, the label has made it its mission to reproduce voices

and instruments as naturally as possible. To achieve this, Opus 3 selects recording environments with good natural. The label's recording techniques were developed specifically for acoustic music and were originally based on the use of tube gear

and “Blumlein” miking. In 2001, Opus 3 switched to digital eight-track technology and later to 16 channels – in the brand-new mixing and mastering studio designed and set up by Sweden's leading acoustic engineer Lennart Nilsson to mark the

label's 30th anniversary. Apart from a few digital intermediate steps all processing is still done exclusively analog.

We recommend the use of "L'Art du Son" LP cleaner to wet wash your vinyl. Even new records of high quality production will benefit from this.

Title

Side A
1. Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad
2. John Henry
3. Take This Hammer
4. Cocaine Blues
5. Candy Man
6. Goin’ Down Slow
7. Sittin’ On Top Of The World

Side B
1. Come Back Baby
2. Frankie & Albert
3. Stagger Lee
4. Juke Dance
5. My Honey Pie
6. Satisfied
7. Sophisticated Shade t