Shemekia Copeland
Outskirts of Love
Reviewed by: Lauren Rosier
Shemekia Copeland is one of the up and coming female stars of the blues genre. Her latest release, Outskirts of Love, proves that she means business.
Copeland is a storyteller and on the opening track, “Outskirts of Love”, she sings about multiple characters in certain situations outside of love. She describes a woman still dressed to the nines in her wedding dress, waiting at a bus stop with her suitcase after pawning her wedding ring, and a young girl waiting for her mother to be finished prostituting her herself to a man inside a hotel room.
The “Devil’s Hand” is your classic blues jam — it showcases her soulful, bluesy side of lyricism, vocals, and guitar. “Woke up early one morning / Saw the devil playin’ his hand / You know he wrecked my life / Just like a hurricane / When you’re playing with the devil / Don’t you know you’re playin’ a losin’ hand / ‘Cause cheatin’ is all that the devil understands / Please Mr. Devil / Go back where you belong…”
Copeland even brings country to her traditional sound on “Drivin’ Out of Nashville” where she sings about traveling to Nashville to become a huge music star and leaving music capital with “a body in the trunk.” It is definitely a different side of Copeland. While she should be applauded for trying something out of her comfort zone, the blues are absolutely where she belongs and where she most excels.
Rating: Listenable
