CD Review
Eric Bibb, Rory Block, & Maria Muldaur
Sisters and Brothers
Telarc CD83588
by Putnay Thomas
Review date: October 2004
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The sisters of this CD are obviously Block and Muldaur and the brothers are
Bibb and the backing band. The trio is ably back by veteran New England
players Michael Mudcat Ward on upright bass, Per Hanson on drums, and Chris
Burns on keyboards. Burns has a few scintillating solos on keyboards but
this is a singers’ showcase. The liner notes state that the recording
sessions took place in the small Maine town of Unity. This is an apt
description of the camaraderie of the players on this disc.
Not surprisingly this CD has a gospel feel. There is a selection from Psalms
133 written on the cover. All three have recorded this type of music
independently. While Rory and Eric are excellent instrumentalists the
emphasis is on the vocals, as it should be. Each of the three has their own
distinctive vocal style. Together they make a great chorus with each taking
the lead on a particular song. On “Lean On Me”, a song which has been
covered more times than you want to remember, the Sisters and Brother give
the song a good-time gospel feel. The treatment of the Dylan tune “Gotta
Serve Somebody” takes a quasi-gospel tune with Eric Bibb on lead vocal,
injecting a lot of soul, making it more like r’n b.
Curiously only 5 of the 13 songs were written by the group members. Most of
these 5 songs appear on their individual CD’s. The only true collaboratively
written song, that being “ Bessie’s Advice”, was written by Bibb and
Muldaur. Bibb’s voice is nowhere to be heard on this jazzy gem. Bibb is the
strongest songwriter of the three and has included 2 of his best to this
collection. If you’ve heard them before you’ll still like them albeit they
do sound different in this context. If you’re not familiar with his songs,
it will be a treat.
“ My Sisters and Brothers” is the highlight of this CD. The lyrics raise the
consciousness of working together through all our trials and tribulations.
Maria’s signifying at the end of the song adds a fitting touch to the entire
CD. If you’re a fan of any member of this trio you’ll enjoy this recording.
If you don’t know of them, you’re sure to find something you like here.
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