Citizen Cope has released his new single titled ‘Dancing Lullaby (Let’s Give Love A Try)’ from his upcoming album ‘The Victory March’, releasing July 7th via Rainwater Recordings. Reggae with a fresh perspective and music with a conscience, Citizen Cope gives a nod to the best of us with respect and gratitude true to the heart and pleasing on the ears.
About Citizen Cope & ‘Dancing Lullaby (Let’s Give Love A Try)’
Featuring a classic reggae inspired arrangement complete with a lyrical shout out to Bob Marley, the track futhers Cope’s message of positivity and strength through struggle. Here, the track is a tribute to resilient women artists who inspire Cope, containing mentions of Maya Angelou, The I Threes, and Frida Kahlo. Serving as the final track on a record centering songs of longing, “Dancing Lullaby” shows a moment of intimacy and peace, dancing with a loved one, while reflecting on the little things that make their connection so beautiful; a groovy and entrancing closer about keeping on when times get tough. Alongside this reggae infused track, Cope has announced that he will be playing Reggae Rise Up in Baltimore, Maryland on June 24th (ticket info HERE), alongside Damian Marley, Rebelution, Stick Figure, Method Man & Redman, and many others.
Musically, this material—co-produced by Alex Elena (Alice Smith, Lily Allen)—adds more expansive arrangements, with horns and strings, to Cope’s signature blend of hip-hop-based beats with blues, soul, folk, and rock. But it’s the heart and soul of Cope’s music that has endured throughout the years — as evidenced by the fact that 2004’s The Clarence Greenwood Recordings approaches platinum status despite never formally charting, a nearly impossible feat — anchored by his willingness to engage with the human condition and the times we’re living in that keeps Cope on a different plane than his peers. At a concise seven tracks, The Victory March sees Cope at his most focused and refined, offering an expanded sound welcoming listeners both new and old.
Throughout his solo career, Cope’s compositions have been recorded by artists such as Carlos Santana, Dido, Pharoahe Monch, and Richie Havens. “Let the Drummer Kick” from his 2002 album, Citizen Cope, went RIAA-Certified Gold. In 2004, he produced and released The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, followed by Every Waking Moment in 2006. In 2010, Cope founded his own record label, Rainwater Recordings, allowing him to exert full creative control. Free from the marketing entreaties of the major record labels, he released The Rainwater LP later that year. One Lovely Day followed in 2012. After taking a hiatus from his own record releases, Cope came back stronger than ever, releasing Heroin and Helicopters in 2019 and The Pull of Niagara Falls in 2021.
With The Victory March, Citizen Cope feels he has nothing left to prove. Twenty years in, he’s found that there’s really no choice other than to pursue his own sound and speak his own truth—which has proven to be about survival and hope rather than despair, a message the world desperately needs to hear.
Featured image by Alex Elena.
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