In advance of the full release of her latest album, “Blame it on Eve,” award-winning blues singer Shemekia Copeland will be performing at Fanatics Pub next month.
The 12-track album runs the gamut of styles and topics, kicking off with the album’s namesake, itself a fiery rebuke of modern-day misogyny with wickedly sharp lyrics referencing politics and reproductive rights.
“Hurricanes and tropical twisters/Always getting named after some sister/But the worst winds come from D.C./Stealing rights from you and me,” Copeland sings. “Don’t get me wrong, I love men/All my lovers and all my friends/But these days a woman can feel alone/When even her body, she doesn’t own.”
Her very next song, “Tough Mother,” flips the script and proclaims there is strength that comes out of strife and challenge. It cheekily borrows the slang term of being a “tough mother” and recontextualizes it through the hardship of Copeland’s own life, losing her father (Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland) and mother early, and raising a son as a “tough mother” herself.
Other songs also reference current events with “Broken High Heels” exemplifying dancing with joy in the face of pandemics and climate change.
Copeland’s last three albums (“America’s Child,” “Uncivil War,” and “Done Come Too Far”) were a trilogy reflecting on current events from her perspective as a young Black woman and new mother. However, even with those examples from “Blame it on Eve,” she views the new songs as a different artistic endeavor.
“(The new album is) a vacation from all the heaviness,” says Copeland. “My last three records have dealt with breaking news. This record is for people like me who want a break from the news.
“Issues are always important to me, but so is rocking, dancing and just having fun. And that’s something we all can all agree on,” she adds.
Indeed, all the songs with a message are actually upbeat danceable tunes. More emotional ballads, such as “Only Miss You All the Time,” or humorous numbers like “Wine O’Clock” or even the eerily choral “Belle Sorciere,” have a strength and power emanating from the performances.
Adding to that power is a mix of musical styles from Copeland’s fellow musicians. Frequent collaborating producer Will Kimbrough provides soulful guitar, mandolin and organ performances while Lex Price and Pete Abbott, respectively, play bass and drums throughout the album. Other featured artists include Jerry Douglass, Pascal Dance, Alejandro Escovedo, Cara Fox, Luther Dickinson, Jim Hoke and more.
“There’s serious business on the new album,” Copeland says, “but there are a lot of smiles here too, a lot of joyous moments. It’s my blues for sure, but it’s the brighter side.”
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].