That slow-and-sticky-like-molasses voice is back!
Clarence Greenwood, the voice behind Citizen Cope, graces us with another release in The Rainwater LP. Like his previous releases, his latest is driven by piano, acoustic guitar and unobtrusive beats. Citizen Cope has perfected the art of making albums to just chill to!
“Healing Hands” has a great beat led by a rim tapping on the snare. The slow piano and bass line give the song a mellow feel and when the chorus comes around, it picks up a bit. The subtle organ and horns in the background fills out “Healing Hands” nicely! Greenwood addresses the pains of the world and that one little something that gives us all a little bit of hope, which we could all definitely use!
Another highlight off the album is “Couldn’t Explain Why” which has a louder and stronger feel. Greenwood’s voice has some strength to it that you don’t hear very often but when you do hear it, it makes the track that much stronger. Especially when this particular track actually has some distorted guitars and stronger piano. “Couldn’t Explain Why” is probably the loudest track on the album and is one of the best tracks on the album as well.
In “Jericho,” the focus is more on electronic effects than on the whole band as it usually is. A deep strobe-light synthesizer dominates the track with short and sweet strings (or effects) dance around the background. Then, out of nowhere, the song is attacked by party boat horns! You know the ones. Those air horns you hear in every reggaeton song ever made. Though they come out of nowhere, the air horns don’t completely put you off. Greenwood finds a way to intertwine everything beautifully; in a way that makes all these different aspects of musical arrangement compliment each other.
Finally, “A Father’s Son” gets you back into that Citizen Cope groove. The maraca, acoustic guitar and organ are why you listen to this guy (besides his singing, of course). His harmonizing vocals during the melodies is the finishing touch on this perfect recipe for relaxing to a good album! Heavy, distorted beats are heard throughout, but once again, they’re not overwhelming. Especially when the church organ has you transfixed!
Ever since I purchased The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, I’ve been a fan of Citizen Cope. His albums are perfect for chillin’ out, maxin’ and relaxin’ all cool and I just really love his style! I look forward to hearing each of his albums whenever he releases and The Rainwater LP certainly does not disappoint!
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
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