Andy Cooper is back with his third solo LP L.I.S.T.E.N. (Lyrical Innovation Supplying The Ear’s Need), bringing his usual musical and vocal explosions to an expectant audience. Ten tracks overflow with Andy’s special brand of high-agility rhyming over flavor-packed production, offering heads a wild ride through Cooper’s hip-hop amusement park.
When asked why he titled the LP L.I.S.T.E.N., Cooper says that “the scene today is so dependent on fast-paced, social media marketing and instant reactions that I don’t believe the audience has time to actually listen to songs and enjoy them; which, in my opinion, diminishes the value of music. I’m inviting people to soak in this wonderful art form because it’s one of life’s greatest reprieves.”
Cooper has been hard at work writing, recording and performing with The Allergies, also embarking on extensive commercial production work for Audio Network: but his true love is the sample-based hip-hop of his youth. L.I.S.T.E.N. gives Andy the chance to show off all the skills he’s acquired as a mainstay of true school heroes Ugly Duckling. The album’s title track is another fast-rap clinic similar to his 2016 hit Rock Rock, and The Man (co-produced with DJ Moneyshot) is a super funky flamethrower that leaves the microphone scorched. L.I.S.T.E.N. also gives Andy the chance to reunite with his old Ugly Duckling production partner Young Einstein to create the high-powered thumper Heart. Along with Moneyshot and Einstein, Cooper welcomes Berlin’s champion DJ Robert Smith to the fold, contributing to the jazzy What Do You Do?
Audio: L.I.S.T.E.N. album
Video: L.I.S.T.E.N.
