Wicked | |
Type: | studio |
Artist: | Shemekia Copeland |
Cover: | Wicked (Shemekia Copeland album).jpg |
Released: | 2000 |
Genre: | Blues |
Label: | Alligator |
Producer: | Bruce Iglauer, John Hahn, Jimmy Vivino |
Prev Title: | Turn the Heat Up |
Prev Year: | 1998 |
Next Title: | Talking to Strangers |
Next Year: | 2002 |
Wicked is the second album by the American musician Shemekia Copeland, released in 2000.[1] [2] It peaked at No. 8 on Billboards Blues Albums chart.[3] Wicked was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album".[4] It won a W. C. Handy Award for "Blues Album of the Year".[5] Copeland supported the album by touring with B. B. King.[6]
Copeland spent three weeks recording Wicked.[7] Nine of the songs were cowritten by John Hahn, who also coproduced the album with Bruce Iglauer and Jimmy Vivino.[8] [9] She duetted with Ruth Brown on "If He Moves His Lips".[10] "Beat Up Guitar" is a tribute to Copeland's father, Johnny Copeland.[11] "It's My Own Tears" was written by Johnny.[1] The Uptown Horns contributed to "Up on 1-2-5".[9] Sugar Blue played a harmonica solo on "It's 2 A.M.".[12]
The Globe and Mail wrote that Copeland "has the kind of burly blues voice that used to make the juke joints shake when Bessie Smith was still singing about a pig's foot and a bottle of beer."[13] The Austin Chronicle concluded: "Her band is solid, the production smart, the song selection suitably diverse, but the story here is Copeland's undeniable presence, reflecting a confidence that belies her young age."[14] Robert Christgau praised "Steamy Windows" and "If He Moves His Lips".
The Chicago Tribune noted that "the conventional band, and blues-cliche songwriters such as John Hahn, can't find the right connection."[15] The Gazette called Copeland "an extremely powerful singer... She can shake the rafters." The Los Angeles Times opined that "Wicked is the kind of standard-issue showcase that labels such as Alligator have been churning out for decades, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."
AllMusic wrote that "Copeland continues to prove herself as one of the strongest young talents in the blues."