Citizen Cope rejected major money from well-known labels to release and produce his latest project on his own. Consequently, the resulting album, The Rainwater LP, is often self-indulgent. Cope is no stranger to the mainstream; he’s worked alongside Carlos Santana, and his popular song “Bullet and a Target” is a recognizable, successful single. But his new album falls short of expectations. The songs on Rainwater are filled with bluesy and cliché-ridden lyrics accompanied by sad guitars and drums. Once a genre-bending artist, Cope has jettisoned his previous hip-hop influence, settling for melancholy. His album never slows down or amps up its gloomy pace, leaving the listener waiting for a change that doesn’t come.

To read more of Ben Westhoff‘s review, go here.