Bringin' It All Back Home (Johnny Copeland album)

Copeland recorded the album in March 1984 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where he collaborated with African musicians.^[6][7] It was produced by his manager, Dan Doyle.^[8] Bringin' It All Back Home is considered the first time an American blues musician recorded an album in Africa.^[9] Copeland decided to record there after his 1982 tour of the continent; many of the album's songs were inspired by the trek.^[10][11] Copeland included African percussion and the kora on many of the tracks.^[12]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Robert Christgau	B+[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[15]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide	[4]

Robert Christgau wrote that the band "finds a groove somewhere between an airborne Congolese rumba and a Gulf Coast shuffle with some tricky dance figures thrown in."^[14] The Chicago Tribune noted that "African rhythms and instruments wind their way in and out of Copeland's more familiar Texas blues, sometimes seeming exotic, other times seeming perfectly normal."^[16] The New York Times stated that Copeland "sings with a strong, persuasive urgency," and concluded that he "comfortably extended his reach by working with an African rhythm section."^[17]

The Globe and Mail determined that "the singer-guitarist's music at its best moves, and the accompanying horn and rhythm sections here prove a cumbersome weight on the motion."^[18] The Toronto Star deemed the album "compelling listening, an almost off-handed synthesis of African roots music and raw, elemental blues."^[10]