SHEMEKIA COPELAND — Blame It On Eve (review)

SHEMEKIA COPELAND — Blame It On Eve album cover

Album · 2024 · RnB

3.5/5 · 2025-03-13
snobb

Shemekia Copeland is one of the better-known representatives of modern American blues-related music around the globe. Surprisingly, she was announced as the nominee of the prestigious British Jazz FM Awards 2025 in the category, "Blues Act of the Year".

"Blame It On Eve", is Shemekia's last album to date, from the very first minutes it sounds exactly as one can expect from her more modern works. Title-track, the opener, is seriously based on some of the Bible's citations. Still, like almost all Copeland songs, it contains her very own sort of feminist urban blues-rock. Song after song, Shemekia tells everyday life's stories, from a woman's perspective. The regular listener, familiar with Shemekia's back-catalog will find a few new themes here. Still, she sounds as energetic as usual, and the band is very good too.

Musically, of the twelve album songs, there are some rockers, some bluesy r'n'b pieces, and a few ballads too. Traditionally, Shemekia is strong on ballads, never too melancholic or sweetly sad. "Only Miss You All the Time" is one of the best songs here for my ear.

Rockers (like "Broken High Heels") or country-rock-n-roll ("Wine O'Clock") are the least successful songs on the album. The pieces with a strong country feel are not very memorable either. Will Kimbrough plays great heavy metal-like electric guitar solos on " Is There Anybody Up There? ".

In all, "Blame It On Eve" offers a few surprises. For Copeland's fans it is one more strong work from their beloved artist.

20 days ago
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