Music

CITIZEN COPE
Clarence Greenwood
drops a genre-meshing album
BY ANTERO GARCIA

Clarence Greenwood, preparing for oncoming accolades as Citizen Cope, and his upcoming nationwide tour, has plenty of flattering compliments to rain on the countless peers he has worked with. From his debut album’s producer, Bob Powers, to his previous bandmates in the ’90s outfit Basehead, Greenwood is a musician who takes careful note of the actions of those around him, finding every experience one of learning. However, as complimentary Greenwood is, it is still unclear how much praise the musician will be garnering with his new effort, released January 29.

Self-titled under his moniker Citizen Cope, Greenwood’s album on DreamWorks Records isn’t the typical rehashing of standard pop tunes, nor is it a collection of indie complex compositions. Instead, Citizen Cope is a blend of soulful melodies, studio tweaked drum and keyboard programming, and a whole lot of Greenwood, crooning in a rousing, American voice.

His mission is simple: "I’m just trying to make a great record and that’s it," Greenwood explains in a laid back, calmly passive voice.

Like his goal with his album, his name Citizen Cope is also derived simplistically. Greenwood explained that his nickname is Cope, and that whole Citizen part just got lopped on for pizzazz.

"I took the name ’cause it was like a noun and a verb at the same time," Greenwood adds. Pure and simple.

While his artistic name and mission are uncomplicated, Greenwood’s sound is a bit more complex. His album jumps from R&B to hip-hop to jazz-tinged riffs and bluesy hooks, from love songs to politically charged imagery. Citizen Cope plays like a map, with Greenwood traveling from California to Maine to Florida, all within the course of 14 tracks. If there is any one group that is a possible example of Greenwood’s style, it would vaguely be G. Love and Special Sauce.

In his mellow vocal inflections and the calming beats on Citizen Cope, critics have already drawn comparisons between G. Love and Greenwood. However, though Greenwood both respects G. Love’s music and has even played a show with him, he isn’t exactly crazy about the comparison. As he explains it, Greenwood isn’t interested in starting rivalries or feuds with other musicians over copying styles or over boasting about superiority.

"I don’t think I’m better than anybody," the humble Greenwood attests. "I don’t look at it in terms of that. The real geniuses to me are Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder. I’m just trying to put out something that’s hard, something that comes from my heart."

Greenwood hopes that pouring his heart into his music will be a factor that separates his music from other artists. Right along with the embrace of fans, Greenwood realizes that there will automatically be a handful of adversaries to his effort on Citizen Cope.

"It’s hard for some people to grasp it. Some people will take offense to it, and it’s cool if you don’t get it, whatever."

While Greenwood carelessly shrugs away the rejection of some critics, it is a feeling that is all too familiar to the musician. Long before the release of Citizen Cope, Greenwood recorded another album, Shotguns. A concept album that is a modern retelling of the biblical Cain and Abel, Shotguns was given the stake to the heart when Greenwood’s record label didn’t feel the album was marketable.

"I think you really had to sit down to enjoy that record," Greenwood explains. "It was like an underground pop album. I like Citizen Cope better. It has more universal appeal than Shotguns… I didn’t want to go back and rehash that record because I really believed in it," Greenwood confesses. "I was kind of upset that it never came out."

Despite his frustration, Greenwood returned to the studio to work on Citizen Cope. Even before he recorded a note for the album, Greenwood realized that he had a dilemma: Who would be qualified to produce his album? Because the music is so eclectic, hiring a "rock" producer or a "hip-hop" producer was out of the question. Eventually, Greenwood found the ideal producer in the acclaimed Powers. Predominantly known for producing R&B and hip-hop artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, D’Angelo, the Roots, and Erykah Badu, Greenwood said that he decided on Powers because the producer had a firm understanding but was not limited to hip-hop. He also made some timeless records with the artists he worked with.

Admittedly, Greenwood is very hands-on when it comes to production of his album (he is planning on producing for other artists after returning from his tour), and he even co-produced several of the tracks on Citizen Cope. However, he felt he needed someone else to help guide him through the extravagant record creating process.

"I could have produced it myself," admits Greenwood. "But I didn’t want to. You just want somebody in that position who is the best at what they do, and I believe that about Bob. Nobody is going to make your record what you make it artistically."

Another perk to having Powers at the mixing board was his large base of acquaintances. When Powers found out that Greenwood is a fan of bassist Me’shell Ndegeocello, who he produced for, he invited her to sit in and record during Greenwood’s sessions. Blooming from this collaboration, Ndegeocello appears on the second track of the disc, "Contact."Thoroughly enjoying the collaboration, Greenwood points it out as a highlight of the album. However, he gets a little giddy when discussing his favorite track. "I’m kinda partial to ‘Salvation,’" Greenwood shares. (Hey, aren’t we all?)

Like many of his songs, "Salvation" is a commentary on society and politics. It describes the devil stealing the soul of a musician fighting for what he believes.

"If you get inspired by something, it’ll come through," Greenwood said regarding his political songs. "It’s just life’s experiences. Sometimes something will happen one day and you’ll write it that day, or you go through collectively things in your life that you feel. It’s not a conscious thing."

One of life’s experiences that has had a large effect on Greenwood’s perception of the musical world is his time as the touring DJ and keyboardist for Basehead. Picked for the touring band after Basehead front man Michael Ivey was impressed with a demo Greenwood had sent, his touring time almost started to jade Greenwood and his musical aspirations.

After two critically lauded albums, Ivey fled the commercial musical world, upset with interviews and marketing. It’s from witnessing this that makes Greenwood shy away from opening up in interviews.

"I just like to let the music speak for itself," Greenwood offers as a reason for avoiding interviews. "I was in the room a lot of times when Michael was doing interviews and he was really good at it. But some of the media said some things… Michael just stopped really wanting to deal with the whole thing. Michael didn’t want to be a rock star, he wasn’t into that shit."

When asked whether he would like to be rock star, Greenwood chuckles momentarily, and then let’s the questing soak in for a second before cautiously offering his well thought out answer.

"I don’t have a problem with being popular at all and I don’t have a problem with selling records," Greenwood said stoically. "It’s just at what expense do I want to do it? I feel that I was able to represent what I wanted to represent on Citizen Cope."

So he may not have a problem with going platinum, but Greenwood still has one looming issue with his album: it’s incredibly versatile. Because of the many genres woven throughout Citizen Cope, singles from it can be played on virtually any radio station. The question is, which one is going to play it, and is their audience going to be receptive?

"In the bottom of my heart I know someone is going to pick it and say, ‘Yo, I’m going to take care of this and champion it,’" Greenwood said. "But I don’t know who it’s going to be."

Clarence Greenwood has witnessed the unraveling of a hit band with Basehead during the ’90s, and he has felt personal rejection in the music industry with his concept album Shotguns. Greenwood’s album Citizen Cope plays like a breath of fresh air for a musician who’s been holding his breath for a break to get to his audience – that is, if he can find one.