10180 - SHEMEKIA COPELAND - OUTSKIRTS OF LOVE (2015)
SHEMEKIA COPELAND
''OUTSKIRTS OF LOVE''
2015
43:17
1 Outskirts Of Love (John Hahn, Oliver Wood) 04:05
2 Crossbone Beach (John Hahn, Oliver Wood) 03:51
3 Devil's Hand (Johnny Copeland) 03:43
4 The Battle Is Over (But The War Goes On) (Maurice Rodgers, Jerry Winn) 03:01
5 Cardboard Box (John Hahn, Ian Siegal) 03:54
6 Drivin' Out Of Nashville (John Hahn, Oliver Wood) 03:17
7 I Feel A Sin Coming On (Orville Couch, Eddie McDuff) 03:52
8 Isn't That So (Jesse Winchester) 03:18
9 Jesus Just Left Chicago (Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill) 04:35
10 Long As I Can See The Light (John Fogerty) 03:21
11 Wrapped Up In Love Again (Albert King) 03:05
12 Lord, Help The Poor And Needy (Jessie Mae Brooks) 03:10
Shemekia Copeland/Vocals
Jason Eskridge/Vocals (Background)
Eric Fritsch/Organ
Billy Gibbons/Guitar
Matt Glassmeyer/Horn
Alvin Youngblood Hart/Guitar, Vocals
Will Kimbrough/Guitar
Arthur Neilson/Guitar
Mike Poole/Percussion
Lex Price/Bass Guitar
Robert Randolph/Guitar (Steel)
Jano Rix/Drums, Keyboards, Percussion
Guthrie Trapp/Guitar
Oliver Wood/Guitar, Vocals (Background)
REVIEW/AMG
Mark Deming
Shemekia Copeland had the advantage of good genes and a strong family name early in her career as the daughter of top-shelf blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, but 17 years after she cut her debut album, she's established that she can more than get by on her own talent and reputation, and 2015's Outskirts of Love (which finds her returning to Alligator Records after a pair of albums for Telarc) shows once again she's one of the strongest and most capable vocalists in the contemporary blues game. Copeland has a solid, expressive voice with plenty of power, she knows how to sell a song without an excess of melodrama, and with producer and songwriter Oliver Wood she's found a creative partnership that serves both sides well. Wood's tunes are well suited to Copeland's fearless persona, from the story of one woman's well-earned revenge in "Crossbone Beach" to the wild and woolly misadventures of "Drivin' Out of Nashville" (where she reminds us "country music ain't nothin' but the blues with a twang"), and the studio band (with Wood on guitar) cooks up a solid groove behind her, with guest shots from Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Will Kimbrough, and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, who sits in on a cover of his group's 1973 hit "Jesus Just Left Chicago." Copeland also shows off her sure hand with covers on her interpretations of Jesse Winchester's "Isn't That So," John Fogerty's "Long as I Can See the Light," and Albert King's "Wrapped Up in Love Again," and while Copeland respects the essence of the originals, she can bring her own personality to each number and give it life. Shemekia Copeland is one vocalist who can cut a straightforward blues set in the 21st century and still make it sound fresh and exciting, and Outskirts of Love captures her at the top of her game, young enough to still pack a wallop and experienced enough to know just what her music needs.
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
The daughter of renowned Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, Shemekia Copeland began making a splash in her own right before she was even out of her teens. Projecting a maturity beyond her years, Copeland fashioned herself as a powerful, soul-inflected shouter in the tradition of Koko Taylor and Etta James, yet also proved capable of a subtler range of emotions. Copeland was born in Harlem in 1979 and her father encouraged her to sing right from the beginning, even bringing her up on-stage at the Cotton Club when she was just eight years old. She began to pursue a singing career in earnest at age 16, when her father's health began to decline due to heart disease; he took Shemekia on tour with him as his opening act, which helped establish her name on the blues circuit. She landed a record deal with Alligator, which issued her debut album, Turn the Heat Up!, in 1998 when she was just 19 years old (sadly, her father didn't live to see the occasion).
While the influences on Copeland's style were crystal clear, the record was met with enthusiastic reviews praising its energy and passion. Marked as a hot young newcomer to watch, Copeland toured the blues festival circuit in America and Europe, and landed a fair amount of publicity. Her second album, Wicked, was released in 2000 and featured a duet with one of her heroes, early R&B diva Ruth Brown. Wicked earned Copeland a slew of W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations and she walked off with three: Song of the Year, Blues Album of the Year, and Contemporary Female Artist of the Year. The follow-up record, Talking to Strangers, was produced by legendary pianist Dr. John and featured songs that she proudly claimed were her best yet. The Soul Truth, produced by Steve Cropper, was released by Alligator Records in 2005. Never Going Back followed in 2009 from Telarc Blues, and was produced by the Wood Brothers' Oliver Wood. 33 1/3 appeared in 2012, and was again produced by Wood and issued by Telarc. Copeland returned to Alligator Records for the release of 2015's Outskirts of Love, which featured guest appearances from Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
**********
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Whether she’s belting out a raucous blues-rocker, firing up a blistering soul-shouter, bringing the spirit to a gospel-fueled R&B rave-up or digging deep down into a subtle, country-tinged ballad, Shemekia Copeland sounds like no one else. With a voice that is alternately sultry, assertive and roaring, Shemekia’s wide-open vision of contemporary blues, roots and soul music showcases the evolution of a passionate artist with a modern musical and lyrical approach. The Chicago Tribune says Copeland delivers “gale force singing and power” with a “unique, gutsy style, vibrant emotional palette and intuitive grasp of the music.” NPR Music calls her “fiercely expressive.”
Copeland’s return to Alligator Records with Outskirts Of Love (she recorded four albums for the label from 1998 through 2006) finds her at her most charismatic, performing roots rock, Americana, and blues with power and authority, nuance and shading. Produced by The Wood Brothers’ Oliver Wood, Outskirts Of Love is a musical tour-de-force, with Copeland rocking out on the title track, taking charge in Crossbone Beach, honoring her father, the late Johnny Clyde Copeland with her Afrobeat-infused take on his Devil’s Hand, tackling homelessness on Cardboard Box and showing off her country swagger on Drivin’ Out Of Nashville. She puts her stamp on songs made famous by Solomon Burke (I Feel A Sin Coming On), Jesse Winchester (Isn’t That So), Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (The Battle Is Over), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Long As I Can See The Light), ZZ Top (Jesus Just Left Chicago), Albert King (Wrapped Up In Love Again), and Jessie Mae Hemphill (Lord, Help The Poor And Needy). Friends including Billy F Gibbons, Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Will Kimbrough and Pete Finney all add their talent with unbridled enthusiasm. The result is the most decidedly contemporary and musically adventurous album of Copeland’s still-evolving career.
Shemekia Copeland was born in Harlem, New York on April 10, 1979, and came to her singing career naturally. Her bluesman father recognized his daughter’s talent early on. He always encouraged her to sing at home and even brought her on stage to sing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club when she was just eight. At that time Shemekia’s embarrassment outweighed her desire to sing. But when she was 15, and her father’s health began to slow him down, she received the calling. “It was like a switch went off in my head,” recalls Shemekia, “and I wanted to sing. It became a want and a need. I had to do it.
At 16, Shemekia joined her father on his tours after he was diagnosed with a degenerative heart condition. Soon enough Shemekia was opening, and sometimes even stealing, her father’s shows. “She grabbed the crowd with her powerful voice, poised and intense,” raved Blues Revue at the time. Eventually, though, it became clear to Shemekia who was helping whom. “Dad wanted me to think I was helping him out by opening his shows when he was sick, but really he was doing it all for me. He would go out and do gigs so I would get known. He went out of his way to get me that exposure,” recalls Shemekia.
Shemekia stepped out of her father’s shadow in 1998 with her groundbreaking debut CD, Turn The Heat Up, recorded when she was only 18. Critics from around the world celebrated her music as fans of all ages agreed that an unstoppable new talent had arrived. News outlets from The New York Times to CNN took note of Copeland’s talent, engaging personality, and true star power. “Nothing short of uncanny,” wrote the Village Voice. “She roars with a sizzling hot intensity,” added The Boston Globe.
Copeland followed up with 2000’s Grammy-nominated Wicked, 2002’s Talking To Strangers (produced by Dr. John) and 2005’s The Soul Truth (produced by Steve Cropper). In that short period of time, she earned eight Blues Music Awards, a host of Living Blues Awards (including the prestigious 2010 Blues Artist Of The Year) and more accolades from fans, critics and fellow musicians. Two highly successful releases on Telarc, including 2012’s Grammy-nominated 33 1/3, cemented her reputation as a singer who, according to NPR’s All Things Considered, “embodies the blues with her powerful vocal chops and fearless look at social issues.” USA Today says, “Copeland is a singer with fervor and funk, power and range.”
Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at clubs, festivals and concert halls all over the world and has appeared on national television, NPR, and in newspapers, films and magazines. She is a mainstay on countless commercial and non-commercial radio stations. She has sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, James Cotton and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her “f*cking amazing.” Santana says, “She’s incandescent…a diamond.” At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois officially declared Copeland to be “The New Queen Of The Blues.” In 2012, she performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Afterward, Jagger, with whom she sang, sent her a bottle of champagne.
With Outskirts Of Love and a packed tour schedule, Copeland has her eyes fixed firmly on the future as she continues to break new musical ground. “I want to keep growing, to be innovative,” she says. “I’m a lifer, singing about things that bother me, using my music to help people. My dad always said ‘we’re all connected.’ I’m an old soul marching to the beat of my own drum,” she continues. “And right now I’m making the most exciting music of my career.”
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''OUTSKIRTS OF LOVE''
2015
43:17
1 Outskirts Of Love (John Hahn, Oliver Wood) 04:05
2 Crossbone Beach (John Hahn, Oliver Wood) 03:51
3 Devil's Hand (Johnny Copeland) 03:43
4 The Battle Is Over (But The War Goes On) (Maurice Rodgers, Jerry Winn) 03:01
5 Cardboard Box (John Hahn, Ian Siegal) 03:54
6 Drivin' Out Of Nashville (John Hahn, Oliver Wood) 03:17
7 I Feel A Sin Coming On (Orville Couch, Eddie McDuff) 03:52
8 Isn't That So (Jesse Winchester) 03:18
9 Jesus Just Left Chicago (Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill) 04:35
10 Long As I Can See The Light (John Fogerty) 03:21
11 Wrapped Up In Love Again (Albert King) 03:05
12 Lord, Help The Poor And Needy (Jessie Mae Brooks) 03:10
Shemekia Copeland/Vocals
Jason Eskridge/Vocals (Background)
Eric Fritsch/Organ
Billy Gibbons/Guitar
Matt Glassmeyer/Horn
Alvin Youngblood Hart/Guitar, Vocals
Will Kimbrough/Guitar
Arthur Neilson/Guitar
Mike Poole/Percussion
Lex Price/Bass Guitar
Robert Randolph/Guitar (Steel)
Jano Rix/Drums, Keyboards, Percussion
Guthrie Trapp/Guitar
Oliver Wood/Guitar, Vocals (Background)
REVIEW/AMG
Mark Deming
Shemekia Copeland had the advantage of good genes and a strong family name early in her career as the daughter of top-shelf blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, but 17 years after she cut her debut album, she's established that she can more than get by on her own talent and reputation, and 2015's Outskirts of Love (which finds her returning to Alligator Records after a pair of albums for Telarc) shows once again she's one of the strongest and most capable vocalists in the contemporary blues game. Copeland has a solid, expressive voice with plenty of power, she knows how to sell a song without an excess of melodrama, and with producer and songwriter Oliver Wood she's found a creative partnership that serves both sides well. Wood's tunes are well suited to Copeland's fearless persona, from the story of one woman's well-earned revenge in "Crossbone Beach" to the wild and woolly misadventures of "Drivin' Out of Nashville" (where she reminds us "country music ain't nothin' but the blues with a twang"), and the studio band (with Wood on guitar) cooks up a solid groove behind her, with guest shots from Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Will Kimbrough, and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, who sits in on a cover of his group's 1973 hit "Jesus Just Left Chicago." Copeland also shows off her sure hand with covers on her interpretations of Jesse Winchester's "Isn't That So," John Fogerty's "Long as I Can See the Light," and Albert King's "Wrapped Up in Love Again," and while Copeland respects the essence of the originals, she can bring her own personality to each number and give it life. Shemekia Copeland is one vocalist who can cut a straightforward blues set in the 21st century and still make it sound fresh and exciting, and Outskirts of Love captures her at the top of her game, young enough to still pack a wallop and experienced enough to know just what her music needs.
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
The daughter of renowned Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, Shemekia Copeland began making a splash in her own right before she was even out of her teens. Projecting a maturity beyond her years, Copeland fashioned herself as a powerful, soul-inflected shouter in the tradition of Koko Taylor and Etta James, yet also proved capable of a subtler range of emotions. Copeland was born in Harlem in 1979 and her father encouraged her to sing right from the beginning, even bringing her up on-stage at the Cotton Club when she was just eight years old. She began to pursue a singing career in earnest at age 16, when her father's health began to decline due to heart disease; he took Shemekia on tour with him as his opening act, which helped establish her name on the blues circuit. She landed a record deal with Alligator, which issued her debut album, Turn the Heat Up!, in 1998 when she was just 19 years old (sadly, her father didn't live to see the occasion).
While the influences on Copeland's style were crystal clear, the record was met with enthusiastic reviews praising its energy and passion. Marked as a hot young newcomer to watch, Copeland toured the blues festival circuit in America and Europe, and landed a fair amount of publicity. Her second album, Wicked, was released in 2000 and featured a duet with one of her heroes, early R&B diva Ruth Brown. Wicked earned Copeland a slew of W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations and she walked off with three: Song of the Year, Blues Album of the Year, and Contemporary Female Artist of the Year. The follow-up record, Talking to Strangers, was produced by legendary pianist Dr. John and featured songs that she proudly claimed were her best yet. The Soul Truth, produced by Steve Cropper, was released by Alligator Records in 2005. Never Going Back followed in 2009 from Telarc Blues, and was produced by the Wood Brothers' Oliver Wood. 33 1/3 appeared in 2012, and was again produced by Wood and issued by Telarc. Copeland returned to Alligator Records for the release of 2015's Outskirts of Love, which featured guest appearances from Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
**********
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Whether she’s belting out a raucous blues-rocker, firing up a blistering soul-shouter, bringing the spirit to a gospel-fueled R&B rave-up or digging deep down into a subtle, country-tinged ballad, Shemekia Copeland sounds like no one else. With a voice that is alternately sultry, assertive and roaring, Shemekia’s wide-open vision of contemporary blues, roots and soul music showcases the evolution of a passionate artist with a modern musical and lyrical approach. The Chicago Tribune says Copeland delivers “gale force singing and power” with a “unique, gutsy style, vibrant emotional palette and intuitive grasp of the music.” NPR Music calls her “fiercely expressive.”
Copeland’s return to Alligator Records with Outskirts Of Love (she recorded four albums for the label from 1998 through 2006) finds her at her most charismatic, performing roots rock, Americana, and blues with power and authority, nuance and shading. Produced by The Wood Brothers’ Oliver Wood, Outskirts Of Love is a musical tour-de-force, with Copeland rocking out on the title track, taking charge in Crossbone Beach, honoring her father, the late Johnny Clyde Copeland with her Afrobeat-infused take on his Devil’s Hand, tackling homelessness on Cardboard Box and showing off her country swagger on Drivin’ Out Of Nashville. She puts her stamp on songs made famous by Solomon Burke (I Feel A Sin Coming On), Jesse Winchester (Isn’t That So), Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (The Battle Is Over), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Long As I Can See The Light), ZZ Top (Jesus Just Left Chicago), Albert King (Wrapped Up In Love Again), and Jessie Mae Hemphill (Lord, Help The Poor And Needy). Friends including Billy F Gibbons, Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Will Kimbrough and Pete Finney all add their talent with unbridled enthusiasm. The result is the most decidedly contemporary and musically adventurous album of Copeland’s still-evolving career.
Shemekia Copeland was born in Harlem, New York on April 10, 1979, and came to her singing career naturally. Her bluesman father recognized his daughter’s talent early on. He always encouraged her to sing at home and even brought her on stage to sing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club when she was just eight. At that time Shemekia’s embarrassment outweighed her desire to sing. But when she was 15, and her father’s health began to slow him down, she received the calling. “It was like a switch went off in my head,” recalls Shemekia, “and I wanted to sing. It became a want and a need. I had to do it.
At 16, Shemekia joined her father on his tours after he was diagnosed with a degenerative heart condition. Soon enough Shemekia was opening, and sometimes even stealing, her father’s shows. “She grabbed the crowd with her powerful voice, poised and intense,” raved Blues Revue at the time. Eventually, though, it became clear to Shemekia who was helping whom. “Dad wanted me to think I was helping him out by opening his shows when he was sick, but really he was doing it all for me. He would go out and do gigs so I would get known. He went out of his way to get me that exposure,” recalls Shemekia.
Shemekia stepped out of her father’s shadow in 1998 with her groundbreaking debut CD, Turn The Heat Up, recorded when she was only 18. Critics from around the world celebrated her music as fans of all ages agreed that an unstoppable new talent had arrived. News outlets from The New York Times to CNN took note of Copeland’s talent, engaging personality, and true star power. “Nothing short of uncanny,” wrote the Village Voice. “She roars with a sizzling hot intensity,” added The Boston Globe.
Copeland followed up with 2000’s Grammy-nominated Wicked, 2002’s Talking To Strangers (produced by Dr. John) and 2005’s The Soul Truth (produced by Steve Cropper). In that short period of time, she earned eight Blues Music Awards, a host of Living Blues Awards (including the prestigious 2010 Blues Artist Of The Year) and more accolades from fans, critics and fellow musicians. Two highly successful releases on Telarc, including 2012’s Grammy-nominated 33 1/3, cemented her reputation as a singer who, according to NPR’s All Things Considered, “embodies the blues with her powerful vocal chops and fearless look at social issues.” USA Today says, “Copeland is a singer with fervor and funk, power and range.”
Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at clubs, festivals and concert halls all over the world and has appeared on national television, NPR, and in newspapers, films and magazines. She is a mainstay on countless commercial and non-commercial radio stations. She has sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, James Cotton and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her “f*cking amazing.” Santana says, “She’s incandescent…a diamond.” At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois officially declared Copeland to be “The New Queen Of The Blues.” In 2012, she performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Afterward, Jagger, with whom she sang, sent her a bottle of champagne.
With Outskirts Of Love and a packed tour schedule, Copeland has her eyes fixed firmly on the future as she continues to break new musical ground. “I want to keep growing, to be innovative,” she says. “I’m a lifer, singing about things that bother me, using my music to help people. My dad always said ‘we’re all connected.’ I’m an old soul marching to the beat of my own drum,” she continues. “And right now I’m making the most exciting music of my career.”
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
