10 minute read
Shemekia Copeland
By Kevin Wildman Award-winning Blues, Soul and American vocalist Shemekia Copeland has just released her new album, Uncivil War. Uncivil War was released just last month on Alligator Records. This is the ninth album released by the seven times Blues Music Awards winner. Three of her previous albums were also nominated for GRAMMYS®. For those of you not familiar with Shemekia, she is the daughter of the legendary guitarist and songwriter, Johnny Clyde Copeland. Her last release was 2018's America’s Child, which was also on the Alligator Records label. In fact, ever since Shemekia released her first album, Turn The Heat Up, she has been on the top Blues label, Alligator Records.
Since the release of her first album, Turn Up The Heat, which she released when she was just 18, Shemekia has been touring the world and has became a star headliner at Blues Festivals and concert venues everywhere. Shemekia has been hailed as the “great new voice of the blues”, a title she received just after the release of Turn Up The Heat. Since the release of her first album, Shemekia has continued to grow as a musician. In fact, her style of music has certainly evolved tremendously. She has managed to blend the Blues with such genres as R&B, Rock and Roll, and even Americana and Country to create a style all her own. In fact, you can hear her evolution as she moves from album to album. On her last four albums she started incorporating Americana and Country music into her Blues roots. It has been a very impressive move for her.
Shemekia has gone to incorporating messages Her new album, Uncivil War, was into hers songs. She doesn’t mean to be produced by guitar/producer Will preachy or anything like that, she just wants Kimbrough, who also produced her previous to express her opinion on the different album America’s Child, in Nashville. For this subjects that she tackles in her songs. recording, Will Kimbrough assembled a who’s who of musicians to perform on this When it comes to incorporating album. “Will came into play on it,” says messages in her songs, Shemekia tells us, Shemekia, “and will is just a genius. We fell “I’ve been doing it as of late. I would say my in love with Will and we started working with last four records have all had messages of him. He produced my last album America’s different kinds… not always political, but Child, and in Nashville when your recording definitely message songs.” She goes on to National… Well, this is the whole melting pot explain that while some of the songs may of amazing musician down sound a bit political, that’s not necessarily there and they all just love what she was aiming at. “Anything could be music. They don’t care about considered political depending on who’s the genre. They just like listening to it,” explains Shemekia. “I really playing good music. Will don’t necessarily think that it’s political knows everyone, so he’ll say necessarily. I actually think that these are just ‘Hey, you know, I’m making message songs. It’s just things that we can all an album with Shemekia agree on. Take “Uncivil War”, where Copeland and I want you to everything is just uncivil right now. It come play on this song and doesn’t matter what side you’re talking about, they come because they love it’s uncivil. We can not get along, and it’s music and they love playing. really sad. I was just talking lately about how It’s a beautiful thing.” America came together after 911 and now here we are all these years later, and there’s Musicians assembled just so much division and that’s scary to me. by Will Kimbrough to It’s sad and disheartening so that song, that’s perform on this album include kind of what that song is all about for me.” legendary Stax guitarist Steve Cropper, Jason Isbell, Duane Uncivil War starts off “Clotilda’s On Eddy, Jerry Douglas, Webb Fire,” which if you didn’t know, was the last Wilder, Christone “Kingfish” slave ship to venture on to American soil. At Ingram, Sam Bush and more. the time of this ship’s arrival, slavery had The Orphan Brigade provided been outlawed and the captain was well backup vocals. aware of it. He wound up burning his ship, The Clotilda, just off the coast of Alabama. From the opening Remains of the ship have been found now. moments of the album with “Everyone’s been talking about Cotilda for a “Clotilda’s On Fire” till the while,” continues Shemekia. “They abolished closing bars of “Love Song,” slavery, but then they were still bringing Uncivil War will have you slaves over illegally. So what happened with totally emersed in this Clotilda was... a guy brought the ship over beautiful collection of stories and messages. Lately, continued on next page November 2020 • Rock and Blues International 7
be so great doing that.’ People always tell you how they think you should live and they look down upon you when you’re doing things your own way. And that’s not the world we should be living in. We should all be able to do whatever the hell we want to do.”
Shemekia has always had those suggestions thrown at her, but she has continued to be her own woman. People have even said that if it wasn’t for her dad, she wouldn’t be here. Well that definitely isn’t the case. Shemekia has earned every bit of the accolades that have been bestowed on her. Shemekia Copeland As she explains, “Oh, yeah, you always have the people that say, oh continued from previous page she only got to where she got to because who with slaves aboard and he knew he was doing it illegally, so to hide what he had done, he set it on fire and let the ship sink. They found it off the coast of Alabama and it’s just a great story that I feel like people should know. Well, for me the most important part of the song is ‘we’re still living with her ghost.’ You see what’s happening now in America, her father was and stuff like that. So you always have to deal with those types of things. You just go out there and you prove to people that you’re your own person. You’re your own artist. That’s how my father raised me… to be my own artist… original… do my own thing and I think he would be proud of what I’ve accomplished.” even long after slavery was supposed to be abolished. We’re still dealing with the same crap, and it’s never been dealt with in the way it should be and in that lies the problem and it’s really sad.” I just love the title of this next song, “Apple Pie and a 45.” Really, how American can you be with that. Everybody loves apple pie and a lot of people take their guns with them everywhere they go now. “That song
The second song on the album, “Walk Until I Ride” touches on how Shemekia feels about the systematic racism that is gripping the country. “Then there’s “Walk Until I Ride,” says Shemekia. I think we can all agree that systemic racism is happening in this country. Culturally we have all been able to make lemonade out of lemons every since applies to a lot of incidents, besides just being a story line for the song,” says Shemekia. “There was that church shooting and all the school shootings. Every one of them. It’s addressing every one of those. You can’t get more American than Apple Pie and Guns. It’s one of the most American things I can think of.” the beginning of time and that’s what you got to do. You got to walk until you ride. That’s what we’ve always had to do.” Beside all the message in the songs, one of them in particular is a nod to an old friend of Shemekia’s. The song is “Dirty
One of the best songs on the album is “She Don’t Wear Pink.” This one will appeal to a lot of people, It’s about just being yourself, no matter what anybody thinks about you. “I just love that song. I love that so much. It’s about anyone who doesn’t want to march to the beat of the drum that everyone thinks that they should. It’s about me too. During my whole career people have told me what I should be doing. You know, ‘why don’t you just do a whole record of Bessie Smith covers… why don’t you do a Saint,” and it’s dedicated to her old friend, Dr. John. Dr. John produced her album, Talking To Strangers and he also took her on tour with him. They were great friends until he passed away in 2019. “That’s kind of a tribute to Dr. John. Well, I love Dr. John. I got a chance to tour with him and record with him. He produced my album Talking To Strangers and I just absolutely loved him. I miss him so much and when he when he died, I was devastated. I just wanted to do something in tribute to him.” record of Koko Taylor covers. Oh, you would 8 Rock and Blues International • November 2020 And as tributes go, Shemekia also wanted to record a tribute to her father, Johnny Clyde Copeland. For that tribute, she picked out “Love Story,” a touching song written by her father. “It’s tough for me to pick my dad, you know, pick songs of my dad for a record,” says Shemekia. “I do one on every record and it’s tough for me always to pick the right song. I just wanted to do something light. That’s all. And so that’s why I chose that one. I always loved it as a kid. I was there when he wrote it and I remember the joy of us being around the house listening to that song and it just made us smile. And so with all the other things going on the record, I just wanted to do something that was light and fun. And so that’s why I picked that one.”
Another cover song that Shemekia included on the album was the Junior Parker song, “In The Dark.” Actually, when she recorded the song, she didn’t even know that Junior Parker had written the song. She liked the version by another artist. “I didn’t know that song from Junior Parker,” confessed Shemekia. “I knew if from Lonnie Brooks…. his version of it. I hadn’t heard the Junior Parker version of that song till later. They both did great versions of it. I love that song. It’s a great one!”
Perhaps the most unexpected song on Uncivil War is Shemekia’s cover of The Rolling Stones song, “Under My Thumb.” With this song, Shemekia has turned the tables and sings about how the woman has the man under her thumb. “Yeah,” laughs Shemekia. “I thought it was a great way to turn the tables. I love taking men’s songs and turning the tables on them. That’s basically what I did. I like that concept. I got to tell you, I don’t like it as a man’s song. I like it as a woman’s song. As a man’s song, it just doesn’t seem right to me. As a woman’s song, it’s so much better.”
One of Shemekia’s favorite songs off the album is “No Heart At All. “You know, we had that song for a really long time. It to me is just a Blues song and I just love that title. ‘You’re not cold hearted. You got no heart at all,’” explains Shemekia.
Shemekia tell us that she wants all the listeners of this album to come away with all the positive messages that she offers up here, as she explains. “There’s so many positive messages on these songs, so I really just want people to take away the positive messages. I want them to just enjoy the good music here. That’s all.
Be sure to take a listen to Shemekia Copeland’s new Blues masterpiece, Uncivil War. The album is well written and production by Will Kimbrough on it is impeccable. If you’re into the Blues, be sure to pick up a copy of this fine album today. Congratulations on this fine release goes out to Shemekia Copeland and all the musicians associated with this project, as well as Alligator Records for releasing it.
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