Customer Reviews

Wicked

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a senior in High School and I am taking a Blues course with Art Tipaldi (You might know him), and he introduced me to Shemekia. We were supposed to get a discount on the CD through different people, but it was taking so long that I went out and bought the CD (I couldn't wait), and it was worth it. Shemekia delivers the power to hold you in your hand and mold you into her emotions. She has so much emotion and power in her voice to make her feel a part of her. The CD also has a track with blues singer Ruth Brown, in which they completely dis men (I was a little hurt but I got over it). I was lucky enough to have Shemekia come and visit my class during January 2001, and I completely love her. Take the first chance you get to go out and buy the cd, you'll love it!!! It gets the Detroit Five Star Rating!!

this message is for shemekia copeland, i love you, and your music. continue to knock them dead out their . keep up the good work, and we love you. dearly yours, you know who this is. love you bye-bye.

SHEMEKIA COPELANDS SECOND CD IS A COLLECTION OF ROCKIN BLUES WITH A FEW TOUCHES OF BLUES WITH A FEELING. CD OPENS WITH ITS 2 AM A ROCKIN UPTEMPO SONG,MOST OF THE 13 SONGS OF UMPTEPO BLUES.MY TWO FAVORITES SONGS ARE COVERS "STEAMY WINDOWS" AND THE BEST SONG THAT SHOW SHEMEKIA TRUE VOCAL POWER ON HER FATHERS SONG "ITS MY OWN TEARS". THE LEGENDARY RUTH BROWN APPEARS ON ONE SONG "IF HE MOVES HIS LIPS". CD CONTAINS ON ACOUSTIC NUMBER "BEAT UP GUITAR" REMINDS YOU OF THOSE FRONT PORCH JAMS. SHEMIEKA LIVE BAND PLAYS ON ONLY ONE CUT AND THE REST IS JIMMY VIVINO ON GUITAR AND BAND AND ALSO THE UPTOWN HORNS.

Grittier than the more recent (and more highly touted) "Talking To Strangers", Shemekia Copeland's second album is more akin to her 1998 debut album. A pretty tough mixture of R&B, soul, blues and rock n' roll, it is a little bit too formulaic to be truly remarkable, but there are plenty of highlights here.
Johnny Copeland's daughter is equally convincing on the rock n' roll-like swagger of "It's 2 A.M." and the soulful "Love Scene". Shemekia sings with power and conviction, and the material is a bit more diverse than on her debut album. She has contributed to the songwriting as well, penning "It's My Own Tears" herself, and she gets co-writing credit on two more songs. Most of the remaining material is credited to songwriter/guitarist John Hahn with various partners.

Some of the lyrics are kinda trite (and I guess songs like "Not Tonight" and "The Other Woman" would have appealed more to me if I'd been a woman), but the band is uniformly good and often great. The Uptown Horns provide well-arranged brass on three numbers, and Copeland tries her hand at an almost-traditional acoustic blues, the stripped-down "Beat-Up Guitar".
Keyboardist Brian Mitchell plays some delightful fills on a handful of songs, most notably the rollicking R&B of "Wild, Wild Woman", and guitarist Jimmy Vivino is very good without hogging the spotlight.
The ballad "The Fool You're Looking For" is also almong the highlights, as is the (really sexist) "If He Moves His Lips" with the tagline "you can tell your man is lying if he moves his lips".

"Turn The Heat Up" may have had a couple more really notable songs, but fans will certainly want to pick up these 58 minutes of sincere and well-executed R&B as well.
3 3/4 stars. Definitely recommended.

I am 14 years old and this is the best CD i have ever listened to. Shemekia copeland sings her heart out on every song. I have not always been a huge fan of blues but after i listened to this CD and her first one, " turn the heat up " I started listening to blues a whole lot more. I gurantee you will absoloutly love this CD. It is my most favorite CD that i own and it will be yours too if you get this CD " WICKED "

I met Shemekia about three years. This was before I could find her debut in the stores (I bought it from her mother). I wore out that CD and I will wear out this one. Her phrasing on "It's My Own Tears" is wonderful. It is a true memorial for her legendary father. I love the fact that she is branching out to more rock inspired tunes with "2 am" Maybe she'll finally get the airplay that she truly deserves. I love her voice and I will always be in awe.

I never heard Shemekia before listening to 2am on a local radio station. I knew then I had to buy the album.

I was not disappointed as the cuts are a wonderful blend of R&B, rock, R&B, and soul.

This album should win a grammy!

This is the best of all the CD's Copeland has out. What makes it stand above the rest? There is not a weak cut on the album. The pure musicality, coupled with the lyrical content of each song, makes this her numero uno CD. Then, there is the powerful voice of Shemekia Copeland. There is absolutely no doubt that this woman can really sing. She ably demonstrates her vocal talents on this CD.

As on all her CD's, the music can not be pigeonholed. She incorporates rock, soul, and even a tiny bit of country/folk, into this CD. It's all good.

I'm amazed at how soulful this young woman is. Her heritage (Johnny Copeland's daughter) sure comes through. I saw her recently (12/06/2001) live at the Ram's Head Tavern Onstage in Annapolis, MD. What a show! Her band does a great job of supporting her powerful vocals. I immediately bought both CDs and will continue to buy her music as long as she sees fit to grace us.

Like Howlin Wolf in another generation, a recording only hints at the power and passion of this artist's voice. This album has some terrific songs breathtakingly performed by one of the amazing young talents to emerge in the last few years. All of those psuedosoul pop divas (Christina, Mariah, etc.) who are polluting the airwaves these days with their habitual oversouling take a few lessons from Shemekia on how to sell a song...as well as a prodigious talent.