Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordingsby
Paul Barile
May 2005
Imagine if you slipped a jaunty cap on Jack Johnson's head and dropped
him into the inner city for a few months. His sunshiny aw-shucks style
of songwriting might take a turn resulting in darker more complex
work.
Citizen Cope (whose real name is Clarence Greenwood) is the embodiment
of the relocation of this Jack Johnson scenario.
His music has that loose, jangly feeling that kind of works in tandem
with his ambling soul – a spirit that dwells in an urban landscape.
This
is not to say the music is sloppy or unorganized, although at times it
does tend to get a little repetitive.
"Nite Becomes Day" is the first song on the disc. It clocks in at nearly
five minutes, much of which could have been excised and no one would
have missed it. The teeter-totter melody is endearing and lets the
listener know they are in for something sweet for the remainder of the
disc.
"Pablo Picasso" – a bit of a faux-reggae – plays out like the work of
Picasso himself. Again, repetition becomes Greenwood 's only real enemy.
Lyrically, the work is inventive, but Greenwood should think about
shortening the song – or writing more verses. Greenwood's vocals have
a
lazy edge about them, but they work with the quirky images he creates
with his lyrics. His melodies often sound as if they were culled from
playground ditties which fit his voice so well.
It would appear that RCA – and the suits that make these types of calls
– are pushing "Bullet and a Target" as the hit. You kind of get that
feeling when you have the opportunity to buy the ring tone for your
cell
phone.
The strange thing is that this is not necessarily the strongest song on
the disc, not to mention the incongruity of an artist like Greenwood
allowing his music to be a ring tone on a… shudder.
Honestly, though, at a time when most major-label artists look and
sound like they are more interested in hanging with Carson Daly than in
making good music, Citizen Cope is a breath of fresh air.
www.citizencope.com
