Description
Shemekia Copeland continues to explore Americana through a strong blues influence on Uncivil War, a charmingly rootsy and rocking album of tasty guitar, bold lyrics, and, of course, Copeland’s powerhouse voice, which drives the entire album.
Uncivil War picks up where 2018’s America’s Child left off, and while both included lots of impressive guests, War uses less guest singers and more guest musicians, allowing Copeland to own the entire album. The subtle pivot shows how fans are coming to Copeland for her distinctive sound that’s roots without the country twang. Copeland, the daughter of Texas blues great Johnny Copeland, grew up in the northeast, and while she pulls from a lot of blues influences, which pulled from the South, Uncivil War has a unique northern flavor.
Copeland demonstrates it many times over the course of the album, but the most interesting example comes on Copeland’s cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb.” Copeland flips everything around, including the pronouns, so that the song is about a woman of color overcoming oppression, turning the tables in a way that, today, feels much more appropriate. Musically, her version is slower than the Stones and it’s as thought-provoking a moment as you’re likely to hear this year.
