Every Waking Moment

About

On <i>Every Waking Moment</i>, Citizen Cope (aka Clarence Greenwood) moves beyond the rap/blues/rock hybrid of his first two albums to deliver a collection of more organic folk-flavored songs. In fact, aside from his sometimes singsong, staccato delivery, there are few overt hip-hop elements on this recording at all. Instead, Cope has tried to construct songs with greater dynamic range and variety—and for the most part he succeeds, particularly on “Friendly Fire,” “More Than it Seems,” and the solid instrumental, “Awe,” with its slinky Latin feel and sharp horn lines. He also broadens his lyrical themes, moving away from character-driven narratives and towards explorations of day-to-day realities, including love relationships, maintaining a connection with God, and the role of the individual within a society. Cope has one of those love-it-or-hate-it voices that can be soulful and sultry, or mumbling and monotonous, depending on your taste, and there is enough quality material here to please old fans as well as win some new ones. As a bonus, the album includes a live version of “Bullet and a Target,” a single from his previous CD, <i>The Clarence Greenwood Recordings</i>.

via Apple Music