Shemekia Copeland
Never Going Back
Telarc CD83692
“I believe artists have to evolve and grow and I definitely want the blues to do the same,” Shemekia Copeland stated in her July 17th “Hotstar” profile in the concert trade industry web-zine Pollstar.
With a new label behind her, Copeland sets this career evolution prophesy in motion with the February 2009 release of her CD, Never Going Back.
Copeland fans take heart. In spite of the CD’s title, the six-time Blues Music Award winner’s honest, self-imposed foray into uncharted musical territory should be acknowledged as the pure, spiritual growth it is. A challenge of her personal musical limitations, coupled with a respectful attempt to broaden her beloved blues.
Copeland’s desire to introduce new elements into her music prompted the enlistment of Oliver Wood as producer of the 12-track collection, a partnering she says “brought a different Shemekia out of me”.
Wood, an ongoing member of the acoustic combo, Medeski, Martin & Wood, has a dual role as Copeland’s guitar accompaniment throughout the collection and, along with bassist Chris Wood and executive producer John Hahn, penned the lyrics on six of the featured tunes.
Copeland’s opening number is of her own creation. However, and she pulls no punches, tackling the oft-avoided topics of politics and religion in “Sounds Like the Devil,” a low-geared, musical chastising of preachers and politicians alike, a tune infused with Wood’s slide guitar licks and a solid downbeat provided by Colonel Bruce Hampton band loan-outs Ted Pecchio (bass) and Tyler Greenwell (drums).
The partnership of Wood’s guitar and Copeland’s vocal strengths are particularly notable on the voodoo-styled “Never Going Back to Memphis,” six minutes of sultry musical indulgence showcasing Chris Wood’s prowess on acoustic bass and haunting vibrato solos from guest guitarist Mark Ribot.
In the poignantly presented “Broken World,” guest keyboardist John Medeski puts a nice touch on Copeland’s gospel-tinged plea to ‘bring love back into fashion,’ a song she feels is so relevant to the current social climate.
Copeland gives us her blues best with the rocking two-step of “Rise Up;” the funky, semi-autobiographical “Born a Penny;” the hard-edged “Limousine” with its bompity-bomp rhythm; and a cover of Percy Mayfield’s “River’s Invitation”. Family tradition withstanding, the CD would be incomplete without a down-home, heartfelt acoustic cover of father Johnny Copeland’s “Circumstances,” and she does her papa proud!
Copeland is at her most adventurous with her detour into Wood’s arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s “Black Crow”. The resulting collaboration is outstanding. Coleman’s superb jazzy-funky delivery brims with confidence. With pure heart and integrity Copeland emerges from her career “growth spurt” strong as she ever was. Give yourself an A-plus in self-awareness on this one
Shemekia!
- Bev Wilson -
Southwest Blues CD Review - September 2009
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