Ron Pope spent a few years in The District, and is quickly gaining notoriety among a wide selection of listeners; eir music was present on So You Think You Can Dance, and the iTunes sales of eir singles have been brisk throughout all of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. “Whatever It Takes” is eir latest album, released on Hard Six Records. The album starts out with “If You Were A Stone”, a track that just bubbles under with a certain exuberance.
This radio-ready track follows the work of Goo Goo Dolls or The Script, all while containing a much more intricate and heart-felt feeling than many other contemporary tracks. There are tracks that provide listeners with a harder edge, but “Whatever It Takes” is an album that showcases all sides of Pope over the course of twelve cuts.
“A Drop In the Ocean” was the first single off of “Whatever It Takes”, but I feel that focusing solely on the track limits the amount of enjoyment possible. Give the entirety of “Whatever It Takes” a few listens, and what results is an album that can stand equally well on a track by track or by an album bases. Ron Pope’s work is genuine, is beautiful, and is something that listeners will be singing for months to come. The title may end with the titular track, but I feel that Pope has a hell of a lot more to say in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Give eir music a spin, and check out Pope whenever ey plays your town – with the sheer amount of dates that ey has done this year alone, I have no doubt in my mind that ey will be near you soon.
Top Tracks: If You Were A Stone, Never Let You Go
Rating: 7.0/10
Ron Pope – Whatever It Takes (CD) / 2011 Hard Six Records / 12 Tracks / http://www.ronpopemusic.com