Citizen Cope

Citizen Cope | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 29, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreamworks
• ASIN: B00005O6LU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,534 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #53 in Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Experimental Rap

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like G. Love, Citizen Cope is a musical mixologist, fusing sluggish hip-hop beats with mellow piano melodies and new-school blues with easy-listening pop. On his debut album, Cope--née Clarence Greenwood, former DJ for the rap group Basehead--sounds at times like both a younger, drawling Sting and a folksy Wyclef Jean as he sings over slow, loose, loungy instrumentals. Though his music is a patchwork of breezy styles, Cope's lyrics tackle some serious subjects. "Contact" confronts the hypocrisy of police profiling, while "200,000 (in Counterfeit 50 Dollar Bills)" details the work of a shifty middle-aged hustler. Cope tells stories about crazy women ("Mistaken ID") and lost souls with short fuses ("Appetite (for Lightin' Dynamite)"), and even fantasizes about the musician's fight with the stay pure ("Salvation"), tucking a gritty street realism between the rosy rhythms dancing through these 13 songs. --Jennifer Maerz

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, soulful, authentic music. December 30, 2004

By S. Hyatt

Format:Audio CD

When I heard "Sideways" on Santana's "Shaman" CD, I was immediately mesmerized by Greenwood's subtle genius. I picked up a copy of "Cope" and was ecstatic to hear a fresh voice in music - not the same old 'top ten' that commercial radio dishes out. I told everyone who would listen to it to buy it. It is important to purchase the music of new artists, otherwise record companies think no one is interested in their music and won't promote, encourage, or support future recordings. Greenwood is an incredible artist that everyone should hear. His music is poetry. It is visceral and palpable - not to be ignored or dismissed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordianry February 7, 2003

By MrFly

Format:Audio CD

I don't know why I bought this cd last year and I still have no idea why to this day, but I can tell you honsetly that I do not regret it. It's a close second to the CD I thought was the best of 2002 which, to me at least, is a very good thing. It's really kind of hard to categorize Citizen Cope since he's seemingly everywhere genre-wise on this disc, but I'll say Rock/Soul is what it most sounds like. Great stuff, DreamWorks, so far, has put out some rather top notch stuff. (Nelly Furtado, Floetry, Citizen Cope).

Best tracks include:
2. Contact
3. If There's Love
4. Let The Drummer Kick
8. Hands Of The Saints
12. Teresa
13. Holdin' On
hidden track
14. Mandy

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars refreshing October 12, 2005

By Frankie Weber

Format:Audio CD

I enjoy pop music as much as the next person. And I enjoy many music styles (From Eminem and Big pun to My chemical romance and Foo fighters.) I heard "Son's gonna rise" in a pontiac commercial and it stuck in my head til it got to the point where I had to find out who sang that song. So after some searching I found out his name and I was happy with the results. He is a change of pace from other acts and whatever "type" of music he makes it sounds good and he has lyrical content behind the the catchy beats and easy, "marbles in the mouth" delivery.