Never going back
| Never going back | ||||
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| Shemekia Copeland's studio album | ||||
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Publication |
February 24, 2009 |
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admission |
2008 |
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| Label (s) | Telarc | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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| occupation |
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Oliver Wood |
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Studio (s) |
Bakos Amp Works, Atlanta, Georgia; Grandpa's Studio, New York; Joe's Studio, New York |
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Never Going Back is an album by the American blues singer Shemekia Copeland , which was released on Telarc in 2009.
General
Shemekia Copeland, although she is still very young, is already an award-winning singer (Blues Music Award, Grammy nomination, Living Blues Award). Kofi Burbridge and Marc Ribot, who can be heard on the album, play regularly in the Derek Trucks Band . Five of the twelve album titles are written by Oliver Wood, the album's producer and guitarist. Only two tracks are older, namely Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation" and "Circumstances", a song by Copeland's late father Johnny . The album shows the singer at a musical crossroads, although she never denies the blues she comes from. In contrast to earlier recordings, which are rather powerful and wild, on this album she shows her inward-looking side.
Track list
- 1 Sounds Like the Devil Copeland, Hahn 3:33
- 2 Dirty Water Miller, Miller 4:43
- 3 Broken World Hahn, Wood 3:41
- 4 Never Going Back to Memphis Hahn, Wood 6:10
- 5 The Truth Is the Light Wood, Wood 3:30
- 6 Black Crow Mitchell 4:10
- 7 Born a Penny Hahn, Wood 3:28
- 8 Limousine Baba, Hahn, Henderson, Long 4:02
- 9 River's Invitation Mayfield 3:40
- 10 Rise Up Maddox, Thorn 3:23
- 11 Big Brand New Religion Long, Wood 3:55
- 12 Circumstances Copeland 3:35
Charts
The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.
Criticism
- All Music Guide Review by Michael G. Nastos -There's little to fault in terms of the diversity she seeks, and there's no concession to commercialized blues here. (There is little to fault with the diversity it seeks, and there are no concessions here to the commercialized blues.)
- Down Beat (p. 76) - "She finds sparks of optimism in the words of Hahn and Woods 'easy-paced' Broken World, '..." (She finds sparks of optimism in the lines of Hahn and Woods' Broken World '...)
- Dirty Linen (p. 54) - "Though remaining thoroughly seeped in the blues, Copeland brings a forward-looking view as she takes on religion, politics, and the shape of the planet." (Though she remains pervaded by the blues, Copeland brings a forward-looking look when she looks at religion, politics, and the state of the planet.)
- Living Blues (p. 30) - "This is a Copeland we haven't seen before - confident and introspective, she bares her soul with a slow-burning intensity and takes risks with material that doesn't fit the standard blues mold. " (This is a Copeland like we've never seen her before - confident and introspective, she exposes her soul and takes the risk when she records material that doesn't conform to the traditional blues model.)
- Amazon Review - With Never Going Back, which appears on the Telarc label, she takes a further musical step towards modern blues, but without denying her traditional roots.
- About.com.Blues named the album to the list of Top 10 Blues Albums of 2009.
- All in all, Copeland delivered a solid piece of music that their fans will enjoy.