There is a certain stereotype of the blues, with the songs being about lost loves, unfaithfulness, and hard times. Those topics are certainly wide enough for generations of great blues to be created. But someone I consider to be one of today’s finest blues singers has made a career of defying that, with songs that often have a lot to say in terms of social commentary, a little history and a dash of humor. It’s Shemekia Copeland, whose new twelfth album is called Blame It on Eve.

Shemekia Copeland was born into the blues. A native New Yorker, her father was the great Texas bluesman Johnny Clyde Copeland. She made her first appearance on stage at age 10. By the time she was 16, Ms. Copeland was pursuing singing professionally, and toured with and served as an opening act or her father. She released her debut album Turn Up the Heat, on the venerable blues label Alligator Records in 1998. And she has been releasing new album every couple of years since then. Though she is not credited as a songwriter, most of the original material on her recent albums was penned with her manager John Hahn, and is tailor-made for her, with some of it being autobiographical, including songs from her album America’s Child which coincided with the birth of her son, and a few songs on the conditions still faced by African Americans.

The new album continues in that vein, with feminism, commentaries on the state of the world, as well as some Gospel influence, a drinking song, and a couple of straight out love songs. Ms. Copeland is distinctive among blues performers in that she has been recording in Nashville, and some of that influence pops up in her music. But it all works because of her versatility, and that of the band with whom she works on the album, including guitarist and songwriter Will Kimbrough, with whom she has collaborated in the past.

The rest of the regular band on the album includes Lex Price on bass and Pete Abbot on drums. Guests making cameo appearances include bluesman Luther Dickinson on guitar, and singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo on backing vocals.

Opening is the title track Blame It on Eve a great feminist statement covering the subjugation of women from biblical times to the current rollback of reproductive rights, wrapped up in a strong rock setting. <<>>

Tough Mother< is a swamp style blues that simultaneously pays tribute to her mother, and observes that it’s a tough world. <<>>

Something completely different stylistically is Only Miss You All the Time< about a more typical blues subject, a lost love. The accompaniment is mainly Will Kimbrough’s spacey guitar. <<>>

An all-out rocker is song called Broken High Heels another not-so-optimistic commentary on the state of the world. <<>>

On the less serious side is Wine O’Clock, co written by folk singer-songwriter Susan Werner. Still, it gets in some commentary on woman’s role. <<>>

Also on the more light-hearted side is Cadillac Blue a great rocking love song. <<>>

Perhaps the most surprising track on the album is Belle Sorciere a sad song partly in French with an acoustic accompaniment, including with a cello. <<>>

As she has on previous albums, Ms. Copeland again shows a little country influence on a song called Tee Tot Payne about an obscure bluesman who influenced country music. <<>>

Ms. Copeland has included one of her father’s songs on most of her albums. This time, it’s Johnny Copeland’s Down on Bended Knee, a rather conventional style blues, on which the power of vocals really comes into play. <<>>

Blame It on Eve, the new twelfth album by Shemekia Copeland is another reminder of why I think she is one of the best contemporary blues singers on the scene. Her vocals are a force of nature, and that is enhanced by a good collection of interesting songs, with great articulate lyrics, running from the pointed social commentary to the whimsical. The band, somewhat smaller on this album than her last, with no keyboards, is still tight and handles everything from the classic-style electric blues to an acoustic ballad.

Our grade for audio quality is an “A minus” for the strong punchy sound, that is especially appropriate for the rock-oriented tunes. But the dynamic range could have been better, and sometimes Ms. Copeland’s vocals seem a little overdriven.

I had the pleasure of introducing Shemekia Copeland in a regional performance this past summer, and one of the things I said was that in addition to being a great blues singer, she has things to say. She said she liked that. Her new album definitely proves it.

(c) Copyright 2024 George D. Graham. All rights reserved.
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<<>> indicates audio excerpt played in produced radio review

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