Shemekia Copeland
has been expanding the boundaries of the blues for decades. She's regularly covered songs by artists not normally associated with the genre, like
Mary Gauthier
,
John Prine
, and
Jesse Winchester
, among others. Her last three outings --
America's Child
Uncivil War
Done Come Too Far
-- were steeped in the social, economic, and political issues of our time.
Blame It on Eve
reflects
Copeland
's need to take a break from the news. Like the trilogy, it is produced by guitarist and songwriter
Will Kimbrough
with drummer
Pete Abbott
and bassist
Lex Price
. A cadre of guests includes guitarists
Charlie Hunter
Luther Dickinson
Kevin Gordon
, sacred steel guitarist
DaShawn Hickman
, dobro master
Jerry Douglas
, cellist
Cara Fox
, saxophonist
Jim Hoke
, duet vocalists
Alejandro Escovedo
and
Pascal Danaë
(frontman of Creole-French blues band
Delgres
) and backing vocalists
Lisa Oliver Gray
Odessa Settles
. Most of
's songs were composed by
Kimbrough
and her longtime manager
John Hahn
. As is customary, she includes a cover by father
Johnny Copeland
, as well as the
Stevie Wonder
hit "Heaven Help Us All" by
Ronald N. Miller
.
The title-cut opener is noir-ish, funky blues drenched in
Dickinson
's stinging electric slide, and
Hoke
's dark baritone sax groove; the lyrics employ the mythical figure of Eve a metaphor for the mistreatment of women: "Since the Garden of Eden, they have you believin'/You can blame it on Eve¿/While a man is tough, a woman's a bitch/Who needs a trial?/Burn that bitch¿." "Tough Mother" is a rocking Delta blues featuring
with poignant lyrics reflecting on life and its losses. "Broken High Heels" is a wide-open rock & roll anthem about brokenness and nerve in modern life. "Wine O'Clock" is a wry jazz-blues with
Hunter
playing lead guitar. "Is Anybody Up There," with
Escovedo
duetting, is a slamming garage rock blues; it's followed by the lovelorn boogie "Cadillac Blue." "Tell the Devil," an electric country-blues, showcases
Dashawn Hickman
's sacred steel and
's wailing organ over a backing chorus that testifies like a church choir on Sunday morning. "Tee Tot Payne" is a strolling rag blues with
Douglas
' dobro underscoring the true story of the all-but-forgotten subject who taught
Hank Williams
the blues, changing country music forever.
J. Copeland
's" Down on Bended Knee" is delivered with power and fury. The hunted ballad "Belle Sorciere," penned by
Danaë
(who duets with
) and
Hahn
, is an acoustic folk-blues delivered in waltz time while offering the tragic tale of a Creole woman caring for her Cajun man during his final illness.
sings the refrain in French, framed by
Fox
's haunting cello. Her version of the
Wonder
vehicle "Heaven Help Us All" is rendered powerfully, as the soul-gospel jam draws more from
Ray Charles'
excellent 1972 version.
is, like the trilogy, strong and resonant without sacrificing the blues tradition's context; she embraces and expands, rendering these songs with peerless authority, emotional toughness, and determined empowerment. ~ Thom Jurek