Shemekia Copeland

Blame It On Eve

Alligator Records

Shemekia Copeland is the daughter of the four-time Blues Music Award winning bluesman Johnny “Clyde” Copeland. Growing up in a household surrounded by music she inherited the urge to perform. At the age of 18 Shemekia released her 1998 Alligator Records debut “Turn The Heat Up” receiving her first four Blues Music Award nominations. Her next three Alligator Records albums won eight BMA awards including two for Album of the Year, and four for Contemporary Blues Female Artist, also receiving a Grammy nomination. Shemekia left Alligator for two albums, growing her reputation, only to later return.

Back on Alligator, Shemekia recorded the album “Wicked” in 2000. She won a BMA for Song of the Year, “It’s 2 A.M.” written by Rick Vito; Cont. Blues Female Artist, and Album of the Year. She repeated another BMA the following year. In 2003, Shemekia released “Talking To Strangers” and received another tri-fecta. She repeated wins in 2005, 2016, and 2019 winning another Album of the Year Award. Shemekia won again in 2020, and in 2021 became the first Black Woman to win the coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. The album “Uncivil War”, featured the song “Coltilda’s On Fire”, a true story about the 1859 U.S. Slave Ship, the last to arrive in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Shemekia’s last album was 2022’s “Done Come Too Far”.

All of the songs on “Blame It on Eve” were written by Producer Will Kimbrough and Executive Producer John Hahn unless mentioned otherwise. The album was recorded and mixed by Dylan Alldredge at Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville, “when something goes wrong you can blame it on Eve…even her body she doesn’t own”. On guitar is Luther Dickinson while Jim Hoke plays saxophone.

“Tough Mother” again features Dickinson. The album is dedicated to Shemekia’s mom as she sings “don’t you mess with me…I lost my daddy when I was a little girl”. “Only Miss You All The Time” includes the lyric “don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, you’re the reason god created wine”. “Broken High Heels” follows.

“Wine O’Clock” was written with the addition of Susan Werner and features Charlie Hunter on guitar, as Shemekia chimes “my favorite time of day, I’ll have another glass, the world can kiss my ass, tick, tock, it’s wine o’clock”. “Is There Anybody Else There” is a vocal duet with Alejandro Escovedo as Shemekia shouts “will anybody listen to me”. On “Cadillac Man” solely written by Hahn, guitarist Kevin Gordon joins Jerry Douglas, who plays a lap-steel guitar.

On “Belle Soreiere” Shemekia cries “the only thing that woman could do, is stay by his side, the whole night through…delta death, delta death. The song, written by Hahn and vocalist Pascal Danae features Cara Fox on cello. “Tell The Devil”, includes Kimbrough on organ, and percussionists Lucinda Spence and John Hahn, as Shemekia groans “if you see him comin’ tell the devil to go to hell”. On the next song she chants “country music wouldn’t be the same without an old bluesman “Tee Tot Payne”, as Kimbrough plays mandolin.

On each of her albums Shemekia Copeland includes one of her father’s songs, this time it’s “Down On Bended Knees”. On the closer written by Ronald N. Miller featuring backing harmonies by Lisa Oliver Gray, and Odessa Settles, Shemekia bursts “heaven help the child that never had a home”, the song was also covered by both Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

“Blame It On Eve” is another winning album from Shemekia Copeland who has been called “the greatest blues singer of her generation”. One listen is all it takes to agree, but like the good doctor says “repeat when necessary”.

Richard Ludmerer

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