Shemekia Copeland

“Clotilda’s On Fire,” opening Shemekia’s Copeland’s latest LP, Uncivil War, recounts the burning of the last slave ship in Alabama in 1859. The song is less an ending than a beginning of reckoning with our American past and the wounds that still bleed in the present, capped in the title track’s refrain: “Nobody wins an uncivil war.” Nominated for a Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy this year, the Will Kimbrough-produced platter pinnacles Copeland’s poignant songwriting and powerful vocals with A-list contributions including Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Duane Eddy. A timeless testament to our times. – Doug Freeman