SHEMEKIA COPELAND

33 1/3

Telarc

By Leslie Keros

Shemekia Copeland loves to strike a tone of defiance, giving voice to the downtrodden and taking the well heeled to task. In this regard her newest release is an album with a conscience. But it is also a statement of artistic freedom, an experiment in how far afield one can venture and remain true to one’s musical roots.

In 33 1/3—a reference to her age and to her fondness for vinyl LPs—Copeland reaches deep into rockabilly, country, folk, and, yes, blues to come up with a repertoire and stylistic palette worthy of her powerful alto. The opening track, “Lemon Pie,” finds her ruing the stubborn gap between the idle rich and the hard-working poor in a relentless, high-intensity style well suited to a rant. “Ain’t Gonna Be Your Tattoo,” about a woman determined to free herself from an abusive relationship, is a swampy, shapely song reminiscent of Etta James’s later work. Here Copeland and her band build tension expertly, alternating pensive singing and spare instrumentation with full-throated wailing and mighty playing, bolstered by Buddy Guy’s blazing guitar work.

In “Somebody Else’s Jesus,” Copeland attacks hypocrisy with relish, her critique sparing neither clergy nor congregation. The lyrics are mostly clever and evocative (“You wave around that big old bible like a shotgun in the air”), although the allusions don’t always work (“So point that finger right back at yourself before you throw that stone”).

On the funky “Mississippi Mud,” Copeland and guest vocalist J. J. Grey warn against the insidious pull of inertia, not only in lifestyle but also in mindset. Copeland’s round, smooth tone and Grey’s thinner, rawer vocals complement each other nicely on this track.

The entire album is not all preachy, though. Copeland’s cover of the Sam Cooke standard “Ain’t That Good News” is refreshingly buoyant, the song’s catchy rhythm reinforced by Copeland’s joyful singing. A remake of the Lucinda Williams hit “Can’t Let Go” reveals a vulnerable side to Copeland’s vocals, providing a welcome contrast to the torchbearing songs that precede and follow.

Now and then Copeland overdoes the harsh vibrato, and it is when her singing is at its softest that it becomes the most beguiling. In Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” for example, her performance of a deceptively simple melody reveals a remarkably good command of her instrument. The vocals could easily sound flat and pathetic, but instead Copeland gives them dimension, keeping her pitch true, the tone tender and often husky, the vibrato spare and very well placed, the background singing barely discernible. Copeland takes some chances with her voice here, hardening the r’s and gliding among the notes, and this styling, set against yearning slide guitar and misty cymbals, lend a pleasing, alternative-country feel to the tune.

On slow songs such as “A Woman” and “I’ll Sing the Blues,” otherwise fine performances by band members are hampered by Gary Hansen’s drumming, which spaces the beats so generously that the tempo drags. Fortunately, Hansen does a much better job with the equally slow “One More Time,” written by Copeland’s father, Johnny Clyde Copeland. Here Hansen establishes a satisfying groove, supported by the atmospheric guitar of producer Oliver Wood and the chromatic harp of Jon Liebman.

On her latest recording, Shemekia Copeland is challenging herself stylistically and refusing to be boxed in. Forays such as these keep the blues burning bright.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leslie Keros hosts two Chicagoland radio shows: Blues Edition (with Greg Freerksen) on WDCB 90.9 FM, airing Saturdays from 7 to 9 p.m., and Crossroads: Where Jazz Meets Blues on WHPK 88.5 FM, airing alternating Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m.