Raspy vocals, soulful rhythms blur genre lines

Every Waking Moment Citizen Cope RCA Records

out of

Rocks… Every Waking Moment Citizen Cope RCA Records

out of

Rocks like: Everlast, Nappy Roots, Jack Johnson

While not the kind of jams you’d want to feature at a party, Citizen Cope’s self-produced third album, Every Waking Moment, is the perfect addition to a solo night of vegging out.

The one-man band, also known as Clarence Greenwood, blends together raspy vocals and soulful rhythms to smudge the lines between urban folk rock, blues and hip-hop. His flow is slow and easy, but mostly just drawn out and limited in range.

Sometimes captivating, other times sluggish enough to be termed boring, the album’s theme is centered on relationships, both romantic and everyday. Although Cope sounds self-assured, his refusal to show much variety in style or rhythm is frustrating. He’s got talent – he just needs to exhibit it.

Cope’s title track, “Every Waking Moment” introduces the theme of love that permeates the rest of the album. It’s unhurried and personal, inspired by the happenings of day-to-day life: “Every waking moment I’m alive I’m searchin’ for you, whether I know it or whether I realize.” While somewhat catchy, it only forecasts a full potential that never comes to fruition.

An album of today would not be complete without some form of political ranting. As the title implies, “Friendly Fire” hints at Cope’s political views and the harsh realities of war: “They say help is coming, they shot him down, and he was innocent today.” While more upbeat than the other tracks, it gets repetitive at the end.

“John Lennon” focuses more on politicians and their faulty ways: “The city and the country gettin’ divided, they’re pointing their fingers, they’re callin’ each other liars.” His voice sounds weary and tired, like he’s been through too much in his life and it hurts to sing about it any more.

Drawing on Woody Guthrie’s 1940 hit “This Land Was Made for You and Me,” Greenwood speaks to everyone – from “Brooklyn USA to a tinsel town where now the Dodgers play” – in “Brother Lee,” the most creative track. Its fast tempo suggests the song’s meaning: Despite our hurried lives, we are all connected through shared experiences and ties. It also plays with rhythm and sound, a breath of fresh air from what’s left of the album.

The album begins to get dull near the halfway point. Songs start to sound indistinguishable from one another, and Cope rarely travels outside the boundaries of his five-note range. Even when he sings of pretty girls and love, he sounds depressed and weary. The truth comes out as to why he has had trouble getting mainstream radio airtime.

“Left for Dead,” the last track, is acoustic and heartfelt. Lasting little more than two minutes, it is short and sweet. Although Greenwood sounds just as worn out by the end as the rest of us will be from listening to it, the song successfully draws the album to a close.

Every Waking Moment draws from a little bit of everything, from politics to love to travel. Cope shines with brilliant simplicity, yet falls short of anything worthwhile. His mellowness and subtle vocal songs work, but could definitely benefit from being with other tunes of a different quality. More often than not, his songs sound like spoken verse.

Longtime fans will enjoy this as much as any of Cope’s previous work, but it won’t bring about any newcomers. Don’t add this one to your collection, folks: It’s no chart topper.