Citizen Cope’s new album, The Rainwater LP, sounds as if you're listening to it on a 33? rpm vinyl gramophone record player, the first track, "Keep Askin’," opening with that almost static noise and followed by crackles and pops that create the vintage, distorted sound flowing throughout the record.
This is what albums by Citizen Cope (a.k.a. Clarence Greenwood) do – they flow and this album is no different. What's most impressive is that although The Rainwater LP is the first studio effort by Citizen Cope in four years and his first release on his own label, RainWater Recordings, the diverse mix of sounds and Greenwood’s profound lyrics are as top notch as ever.
And I'm being modest when I say "diverse." The ingredients that create the musical brew in Citizen Cope’s latest album encompasses hip-hop, folk rock, synth groovin' funk, R&B and reggae. Throw in Greenwood’s soulful vocals and acoustic guitar work, and you've got yourself one aurally enchanting record.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2010.