Band: Citizen Cope
Release: 2/2010
Label: RainWater (Self-Release)

1. “Keep Askin” – B
2. “Healing Hands” – B
3. “I Couldn’t Explain Why” – C
4. “Lifeline” – B-
5. “Off The Ground” – C+
6. “Jericho” – B-
7. “The Newspaper” – C
8. “A Father’s Son” – C+
9. “Lifeline (Barefeet Version)” – B
10. “Keep Askin’ (Acoustic)” – B-

Comments: Cope. Yeah, that guy. The guy that Matt Hurton loves. The guy that lands three consecutive nights (Thu-Fri-Sat) at the Paradise Rock Club. The guy that realized major label releases are over-rated and releases an album all by himself on his own record label. Cope’s got a funky acoustic swagger that is a little more digestible than what you’ll get in the mainstream. Speaking of which, other than a plethora of TV spots, Cope remains relatively unknown to the public eye (besides his fairly large cult following). His songs are ripe for media picking because of their flexible usage potential and flow. I like what Cope is doing most of the time here, but it’s obviously just not my style. It’s not exactly what I’d consider depressing, but Cope’s heavy delivery has that component almost built in. He’s not afraid to experiment with tropical genres, hip-hop, and electro-pop.

Grade: C+ (79)