Shemekia Copeland

There's a theory that female blues artists have to put in three times the effort to be considered half as good as most of the blokes and for about a quarter of the fame.

 If maths ain't your strong point, let me sum it up. There are an awfully large number of hugely under-rated women blues artists out there.

Hopefully Shemekia Copeland won't be one of them. Judging by her output so far, and she's just 25. Her credentials are impecable. An appearance at The Cotton Club when just eight. An album produced by the great Dr. John. The daughter of Texas bluesman Johnny Clyde Copeland.

If that last bit suggests a touch of nepotism, far from it. Shemeka fought against her genes. She didn't stop fighting until her dad became ill.

Skemekia has worked hard to get where she is. She's got a great band that have been on the road pretty constantly. This should be a good one

POST FESTIVAL VERDICT

Shemekia Copeland is big. A big voice, a big sound, a big heart, a big performance. Hopefully the big recognition is just around the corner. Bringing the house down is an over used phrase. Shemiekia not only brought it down she carried it away for firewood. This was hard pumping blues of a type not heard on a Cambridge stage for a while. I can't remember the last time a woman belted the blues out with so much power in Cherry Hinton park. A scorcher of a set.

Shemekia Copeland Gallery, Gallery 2