The Soul Truth

Performer: Shemekia Copeland
Producer: Steve Cropper; Steve Cropper
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Shemekia Copeland (background vocals); Shemekia Copeland (vocals); Regi Wooten, Reggie Wooten (guitar); Steve Patrick (trumpet); Muscle Shoals Horns (horns); Eddie Gore (piano); Felix Cavaliere (organ, keyboards); David Santo, Sam "Shake" Anderson, John Billings (bass guitar); Tom Hambridge (background vocals); Dobie Gray (vocals); Bob Britt (guitar, slide guitar); Steve Cropper (guitar, electric sitar, background vocals); Jim Horn (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone); Harvey Thompson (tenor saxophone); Charles Rose (trombone); Carl Marsh (organ, synthesizer); Chuck Leavell (keyboards); Chester Thompson , Steve Potts (drums); Tom Roady (shaker, percussion); Lisa Cochran, Mark Williams (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Steve Cropper. Recording information: Insomnia Studios. Photographer: Larry Busacca. The daughter of legendary blues guitarist/singer Johnny Copeland, vocalist Shemekia Copeland forged her own sound on her first two Alligator releases, and raised her artistic profile even further with 2002's TALKING TO STRANGERS, which was produced by New Orleans icon Dr. John. That record's follow-up, THE SOUL TRUTH, sticks with the theme of top-notch producers by enlisting R&B session-man extraordinaire Steve Cropper. In addition to his duties behind the boards, Cropper contributes his spare-yet-fiery guitar lines to almost every track here. Copeland's bold, full-bodied vocals work wonderfully with Cropper's unmistakable playing, and, on most tunes, these key elements blend with tight rhythms and boisterous horns. Highlights of THE SOUL TRUTH include the funky "Better Not Touch," the rollicking "You Can't Have That," and the closing number, "Something Heavy," which features only Copeland's yearning voice and Cropper's acoustic guitar. This is 21st-century blues that hearkens back to 1960s and '70s soul, and the combination proves to be yet another impressive step in Copeland's own building legacy.

Living Blues (p.36) - "The results are sonically fantastic and the songs...boast memorable hooks....Copeland isn't acting the vintage revivalist as much as she's reclaiming the lost art of traditional R&B music..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.60) - Ranked #3 in Mojo's "Top Ten Blues Albums Of 2005." Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[S]he powers her way through an array of soul-blues struts and ballads....The back-ups are generally as blistering as anything to emerge from Stax or Muscle Shoals."

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