"Copeland has a supercharged voice.... 'Breakin' Out' and 'Uptown Line' are absolute steamrollers."
 - Chicago Sun-Times

"Bluesy belter.... Joyful rebellion, funky and horn-fueled."
 - Entertainment Weekly

"Copeland has a formidable voice.... 'The Soul Truth' is a sweet piece of work, highlighted by the horn-powered 'Breakin' Out'"
 - Billboard

"One of the best singers in modern blues, if not all of pop music. The album opens with a one-two rock-and-soul punch."
 - Chicago Tribune

"Shemekia Copeland is such an absolute joy to listen to. Plenty of pulse-raising horns and clinkly, Big River rhythms, Copeland's big mama voice is just that mighty, full of swagger, sexiness and old-school soul power. Copeland is flawless throughout, stabbing every note and crescendo with infinite ease."
 - Relix

"Astounding"
 - Vanity Fair

"Deep, country-flavored blues and soul music, funk and swamp-pop, gritty R&B...energetic, powerful and soulful....arguably the blues' finest young female vocalist."
 - Nashville City Newspaper

"26-year-old powerhouse... "'Who Stole My Radio?' is one of the many standout tracks on Copeland's scorching new album. She offers undeniable proof that old-school deep soul can be as vital as ever, and it's out there for anyone who's put off by what passes for 'R&B' these days. 'The Soul Truth' (****) sounds like a blast from Memphis 1967. [Producer Steve Cropper] punches up the soul, with insistent beats and jabbing horns matching he Aretha-like brashness of Copeland's delivery. She has a bigger-than-life presence, but her command transcends sass. 'Strong Enough' is a devastating ballad. 'The Soul Truth' is the best album of what had already been a stellar career."
 - Philadelphia Enquirer

"A gusty, powerful voice."
 -- Emerge

"Shemekia Copeland actually sings the blues...the genuine southern-fried article...Shemekia proves that sexual and emotional bravado is as effectively expressed in the blues as in funk, r&b, or rap... a vocal style that hovers between Texas twang and Harlem slur, Shemekia bridges generational and regional tastes...utterly contemporary...heartbreaking in its purity of tone and sentiment... nothing short of uncanny. Powerful, she’s a new generation of blues woman."
 -- Village Voice

"Successfully inherits her father's legacy with this powerful debut. Belts out songs with a passion rarely heard in someone so young... she roars with sizzling-hot intensity."
 -- Boston Globe

"Fire starter...blessed with a warm, powerful voice."
 -- Billboard

"Shemekia has begun blazing her own blues trail in impressive fashion...belts out bedrock blues and R&B with a gospel-fired intensity that belies her years -- for all her brassy power, she's still capable of subtlety and finesse."
 -- Philadelphia Inquirer

"Gale force singing...Copeland's ample power, unique style, vibrant emotional palette and intuitive grasp of the genre belie her age... especially stunning is Copeland's ability to knock slow-burning tunes out of the park...gospel-tinged. Gutsy and gospel-tinged."
 -- Chicago Tribune

"A power packed disc of r&b, Stax soul. gospel-inflected and deep blues...Copeland's calling card is her gripping and growling voice. She's a blues singing natural...compelling...spirited."
 -- Downbeat

"A diva-in-the-making…a hothouse talent…Copeland’s success isn’t an accident, it’s her birthright. She’s a one-woman revival act, a lesson in the power of live music."
 -- CNN/Entertainment Weekly

"Shemekia’s a ball-of-fire vocalist…fire in her lungs…This big, bawdy Harlem blues bolter has a voice that’s part Memphis, part Chicago and all woman…the real deal.  Devastatingly powerful debut…If there was a stronger new voice recorded in 1998, I didn’t hear it…a throaty growl that‘s part Etta James, part Tina Turner and part someone I’d never encountered but know I’d better listen to or pay the price…She’s a great singer, period."
 -- Chicago Sun-Times

"Copeland exudes sass and self-assurance far beyond her years. Her potent voice is simultaneously husky and brilliant…unfailing sureness of pitch and emotional intensity, her distinctive blues style spans everything from fervid gospel to slick modern-day R&B."
 -- Chicago Reader

"Her voice is pure, beautifully unaffected and powerful…Copeland has blues in her blood…unshakable confidence…sizzling, simmering soul. Shemekia Copeland’s promise is as limitless as her talent."
 -- Living Blues

"As auspicious debut by an important young artist…Shemekia Copeland will keep with blues alive…she has the tools and the talent and is blessed with scorching vocals. She bangs out songs with an intensely full-throated vocal style…vocal voodoo…a lifetime of growth possibilities still to bloom."
 -- Blues Revue

"The power and passion of a young Etta James…she’s got it all: octave-spanning vocal range, gospelly melisma and the kind of gust that draws young rockers…if there was a blues “rookie of the year” award, Copeland would be the front-runner."
 -- Request

"Powerhouse debut…belts with startling urgency…this earthshaker is continuing the lineage of hollerin’ blues divas like Big Mama Thornton and Koko Taylor, but with her own vibrant twist…full-tilt roar…blast furnace intensity."
 -- Jazz Times

"Shemekia Copeland may well be the first great blues voice of the new millennium. An astounding discovery: she exudes confidence, maturity, a sense of history and place…impeccable and relentless…she has a command that many a singer only dreams about."
 -- Variety

"A casual authority beyond her years…unerring instincts and the raw vocal power of Koko Taylor or Etta James."
 -- Los Angeles Times