The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Shemekia Copeland’s take on 2020 turmoil falls short
Shemekia Copeland, “Uncivil War” (Alligator)
The best protest songs come from a deep well of outrage, connecting with a visceral sense of injustice or posing an urgent question. Think “What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?”
A lot of artists are trying these days to make sense of a world in turmoil. Among them is Shemekia Copeland, whose new album, “Uncivil War,” offers commentary on everything from the proliferation of guns to civil rights marches to the more universal challenge of simply getting along.
Ultimately, though, “Uncivil War” falls short. Much of it feels contrived and selfconscious, as if she and producer Will Kimbrough, who co-wrote many of the songs, set out to write protest music but forgot the visceral outrage. The songs lean too much on the obvious to make the necessary connections.
Animals, people rescue each other in heartfelt docuseries
In a new docuseries, a child who uses a walker meets a dog with its own version of wheels. Inmates find solace in training canines for adoption, and pigs strut their stuff in a “body positivity” celebration.
That and more is part of “That Animal Rescue Show,” an endearing project that reflects its unexpected creators as well as its stars, human and otherwise. All 10 episodes are out Oct. 29 on the CBS All Access streaming service.
“What the series is about is people rescuing animals, and animals rescuing people,” said Oscar-winning documentarian Bill Guttentag (”Twin Towers,” “You Don’t Have to Die”), one of the big names behind this small gift of touching and quirky stories.
The other: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater (”About a Boy”), who acknowledges that a documentary is a rare
venture for him. But he sees a connection to his films, which include “School of Rock” and the bookend romances “Before Sunrise” and “Before Midnight.”
“I’ve often done films about people who are kind of obsessed or passionate people. That’s what you’re looking for in a story,” he said.
He and his collaborators, including Nayeema Raza, Guttentag’s writing-producing partner, committed to holding themselves and the series to a high standard.
“Rick said something to us which I thought was just great,” Guttentag recalled. “’What I’d really like to do is come up with 10 little documentaries that could all make it into Sundance (film festival) on their own.’”
The project found a myriad of subjects in and around Austin, Texas, where longtime resident Linklater has a farm and where the idea for the series was born.
Among the gems that are showcased: Safe in Austin, created by a mom who saw a service dog help her son with autism to blossom. It’s a haven for a menagerie of abused and neglected animals, visited by children with challenges who “pet, and love and heal alongside the animals,” as owner Jamie Wallace Griner says in the series.
The series’ approach is far removed from rote reality TV, Guttentag said, “where they cast you and you play that role, whether or not that’s who you are. In our show, the folks you see, that’s who they are.”