3 out of 5 stars.
Clarence Greenwood, AKA Citizen Cope, since leaving the DC hip-hop scene (his former group was Basehead, worth checking out), has reached out on his own, now on his third solo release.
Cope's vocals are very muddled, without enunciation, particularly noticeable on the album's deepest cut, "107 Degrees." This smoky, sensual track conjures the ambience of the previous album, with some heavy keyboard and the best sound from Citizen Cope on the record. Some might consider such vocal porridge to be Dylan-esque, but it's more likely the product of being stoned. Then again, maybe it is Dylan-esque, after all.
The opening song, "Back Together", strikes as an internal battle of one dealing with personal struggle: "Been stuck in the middle of a vendetta between me and myself," and is a good enough way to start things off. The title track, "Every Waking Moment", is not particularly impressive as a single or a namesake for an album.
Every Waking Moment is a fine blend of folky, bluesy, and funky tracks, offering a mellow 45 minutes of hazy lyrics and music. The album doesn't deliver lyrically as the previous did, departing from the story-telling and blanking out where it could have continued to add to Citizen Cope's library of 4-minute tales about the crazed, forlorn, and famous.
Try tracks 6, 7, and 9.
3 out of 5.
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