Eric Bibb’s Godfather, Paul Robeson, would say ‘As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will always sing for peace, and no one can silence me in this.’ It is to Bibb’s (and producer Glen Scott’s) credit that Dear America refuses to be silent, challenging iniquity wherever it is witnessed.Dear America’s two chord opener has the melodic insouciance yet knowingness of an Elizabeth Cotten song. It itemises America’s great food, great music; and they’re really what will make America great again. Without haranguing the listener, Bibb draws deep on a hundred years of American gospel, blues and 1960s righteous soul to ask profound questions of why so little has changed between the Civil Rights era and the Trump error. Somehow, despite the horror, Bibb still nurtures hope, because Dear America isn’t just a letter of admonition to his ‘homeland’, although he may rail at domestic violence (a passionate performance from Shaneeka Simon on ‘Born of a Woman’) or the ‘appalling silence of the good’ as on the title track.

But Dear America also remains a love letter: the upbeat ‘Tell Yourself’ reminds us of Angela Davis’ dictum that optimism is a political act too, that fear and despair are the enemies. Bibb can also weave history into a modern context. ‘Emmett’s Ghost’, recalling the murder of Emmett Till in 1955 is both a warning from the past and a reminder of the roots of Black Lives Matter. Bibb’s helped by outstanding contributions, be it Carter’s venerable bass (the two first played together 53 years ago) or Eric Gales’ electric incandescence on ‘Whole World’s Got the Blues’. The blues has channelled powerful responses to the travails of the last 5 years, not least Shemekia Copeland’s Uncivil War and Gary Clark Jnr.’s This Land. Bibb’s Letter to America joins them.