Never Going Back

Performer: Shemekia Copeland
Engineer: Jeff Bakos; Jeff Bakos; Joe Johnson
Producer: Oliver Wood; Oliver Wood; John Hahn
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Shemekia Copeland (vocals, background vocals); Oliver Wood (guitar, slide guitar, baritone guitar, background vocals); Arthur Neilson (guitar, slide guitar); Marc Ribot (guitar); Kofi Burbridge (Wurlitzer organ, background vocals); Tyler Greenwell (drums, percussion); Mike Mattison, Ted Pecchio (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Jeff Bakos; Joe Johnson . Audio Remasterer: Greg Calbi. Recording information: Bakos Amp Works, Atlanta, GA; Grandpa's Studio, New York, NY; Joe's Studio, New York, NY. Photographer: Carol Friedman. Singer Shemekia Copeland is the daughter of the late Texas blues guitar great Johnny Copeland, and while she's joined the family business, she is not riding her father's coattails. While blues is at the heart of her approach, her style is closest to the soul-blues blend of Irma Thomas, Little Johnnie Taylor, and Johnny Adams. Vocally, she recalls Thomas, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, and even Lucinda Williams at her most bluesy. Copeland's rough-and-ready backing includes John Medeski, Chris Wood (both of Medeski Martin & Wood), and Marc Ribot, who ideally balance the raw and the smooth with class and flair. Shemekia Copeland has moved her recorded product to the TelArc label, has a new producer in Oliver Wood (who doubles on guitar), and pursues a style that seems more refined and less raucous or bawdy than on her previous recordings. The rough edges are shaved, maturity is settling in, and Copeland seems intent on doing things in a more traditional fashion rather than the stomping, tear-the-house-down approach she built her reputation on. She's using members of Col. Bruce Hampton's band in bassist Ted Pecchio and drummer Tyler Greenwell, occasionally bassist Chris Wood and keyboardist John Medeski from Medeski, Martin & Wood, guitarist Marc Ribot, and on loan from the Derek Trucks Band, keyboardist Kofi Burbridge for three tracks. These musicians liven up the proceedings considerably, and the production values of this effort are leaner and cleaner than her other discs. Copeland herself sounds incredibly focused and basic, far from slick but not dirty or messy on any level, and her themes reflect a current-life viewpoint that is part optimist and part cynic, with a big parcel of pragmatic realist. Her poignant castigation of God-driven politicians and jive preachers on "Sounds Like the Devil" is spot-on in a slow-plod beat, "Broken World" is an end-all cautionary tale, and "Big Brand New Religion" brings the sentiment full circle as an antithesis in a New Orleans shuffle. Her songs of hope stem from a young mother's bad-luck struggle in a hard rock two-step during "Rise Up" and the funk-rock "Born a Penny" (featuring Burbridge), which anyone struggling with being born into poverty can relate to. "Never Going Back to Memphis" and Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow" feature Chris Wood, Medeski, and Ribot, the former a voodoo-type sly and slinky number, the latter a decent light funk revision of the tune. At her most innocent though atypical, Copeland overdubs her singing on "The Truth Is the Light," only slightly preachy and balanced by some nasty slide guitar work. Another cover, this time of Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation," seems biographical, as she's looking for her baby, and it's a song that suits her toned-town approach. There are harder-edged songs like the bompity-bop New Orleans-flavored "Limousine" and her well-sung, spirited take on dad Johnny Copeland's "Circumstances," which is more acoustic and down-home, but essentially it's all good. There's little to fault in terms of the diversity she seeks, and there's no concession to commercialized blues here. All in all, Copeland has delivered a solid set of music, easily recommended, that should please her fans and translate to some dynamic performances on tour. ~ Michael G. Nastos

Down Beat (p.76) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "She finds sparks of optimism in the words of Hahn and Woods' easy-paced 'Broken World,' with focused and watchful John Medeski seated at the organ." Dirty Linen (p.54) - "Though remaining thoroughly seeped in the blues, Copeland brings a forward-looking view as she takes on religion, politics, and the shape of the planet." Living Blues (p.30) - "This is a Copeland we haven't seen before -- confident and introspective, she bares her soul with a slow-burning intensity and takes risks with material that doesn't fit the standard blues mold."

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