New Albums from Donovan, Eric Bibb and the late Jeff Buckley

This Tuesday sees releases from a few old friends, including an artist who is no longer with us. Appleseed Records presents Beat Cafe, Donovan‘s first original album for adults since 1996’s Sutras. The album is described as not so much folk music as a timeless state of mind.

Eric Bibb makes his debut on the Telarc label with Friends. The CD boasts a number of guest appearances, including Bibb’s collaborations with Taj Mahal, Ruthie Foster (who we brought in to the Kent State Folk Festival and is fantastic in concert), Odetta, Guy Davis, Charlie Musselwhite, and Jerry Yester. Bibb, a talented musician in his own right, is the son of 60s folk singer Leon Bibb.

When singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeff Buckley was only 30, he went for a swim in the mighty Mississippi and never came back. Now, Columbia is re-releasing his breakout album Grace – remastered and paired with a new CD of rarities and a DVD of Buckley in concert. The release falls on the 10th anniversary of the original launch of Grace.