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"Ribot has as much respect for and affinity with noise and distortion as he does with Segovia or Solomon Burke. He is comfortable with crunk, filk, Ezengileer (Tuvan xoomi, like galloping horses), Detroit blues, funeral doom, Danzon, dabke, (Palestinian wedding music) ... even furniture music! Although he categorized himself as a 'soul man,' he is the Lon Chaney of the guitar. he is a gypsy, a killer, a nervous teen, a professor, a stripper or a slave and like Lon Chaney, he does all his own makeup and is a man with a thousand faces. You can evoke a metaphor from practically anywhere... you can say, 'Hagfish, Rod Steiger, Sterling Holloway, the Contortions,' you can use animals of the forest or something from a dream. He responds to suggestions like a man under hypnosis. He challenges you to show him material that is worthy of his interest. He usually knows what a song needs whether you agree or not." (from Downbeat July 2011)