Citizen Cope presents ‘Rainwater’ at 9:30 Club

His latest masterwork — “The Rainwater LP” — has again cemented his place as what one critic called Washington, D.C.’s “most soulful export since Marvin Gaye.” For Cope, the work is just another expression of his work done the way he insists it should be recorded.

“I always thought soul was one of the most authentic things I listened to,” Cope said. “I remember listening to an Elton John record in 1972, and it had such a large amount of soul in it. I think soul was really — to me — from the heart. I liked how it sounded on old vinyl, and I want to pay homage to the sound and the way people made it.”

“The Rainwater LP” does just that. As few contemporary records do, it combines modern go-go and rock sensibilities while taking listeners back to the early soul, jazz and rock sounds that have clearly influenced Cope’s music. Of course by mixing many formats, Cope creates his own richly textured funk blend punctuated with horns and strings that supports his trademark dusty vocals.

Let critics say what they will; it’s little wonder that Lisa Marie Presley, Carlos Santana and so many other music lovers are in love with his music.

Of course no one is more in touch with the sound than Cope himself, which is why he shed his major label ties and went indie a few years ago. Cope talks about his decision without any rancor, talking about it as something akin to an incorrect creative fit.

“I just stopped and withdrew from the industry side of things for a while,” Cope said. “I had to get everything in place before I could get the record done. Writing is part of my life, just an instinct in my life.”

“The major labels only service radio acts, and for me to be tied up in it — well, I had to get out,” he said.

For someone who’s incredibly introspective and dark, his outlook on his music and career is incredibly sunny.

“It’s all good because the music has always come out right,” Cope said. “My music is still selling, still vibrant and still alive. It hasn’t gone unnoticed. It sounds basic when you hear it, but recording this album was a beautiful thing. I recorded part of it in Malibu and part in Brooklyn. Making music is supposed to be fun, and that is how I taking the recording process.”