Dreamworks
2002
Citizen Cope
About This Album
If there were such a thing as an urban beatnik, Citizen Cope, aka Clarence Greenwood, would be it. His unique message-oriented self-titled debut is in the spirit of music by Wyclef Jean and Arrested Development, but rich in his own brand of underground street stylings, which find their flavor in the sounds and soul of the Deep South. The album combines an ever-so-slight bit of island flavor, R&B, hip-hop, smoky-club lounge, and blues. The former live keyboardist and DJ for Basehead fills his songs -- which are often cool, laid-back, and understated -- with messages surrounding the struggles of life, but more so, street life. And Greenwood's voice is smooth and full of yearning, but not over the top. It can be likened to the style of Maxwell. Listeners, whatever they take from this innovative disc, will no doubt walk away feeling as if they just exited a small, hole-in-the-wall club -- the kind that oozes character and atmosphere -- at six AM, squinting at the blaring morning sun. There are many winning moments on this disc. "Contact" describes how cops sometimes wrongfully stop and even arrest youth. The slow and shuffling "If There's Love" is steeped in Southern blues flavor and portrays love's power to lift the human spirit in a difficult world.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4,5,8 and 9)

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