Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple

Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple The supergroup collaboration between Goodie Mob founder Cee-Lo Green and producer Danger Mouse spawned one of the biggest hits of 2006 with "Crazy". Cee-Lo's soulful vocals and Danger Mouse's on-point production made the duo a critical and commercial success. Two years later they release their sophomore release, The Odd Couple. Originally slated for release in April, the group pushed up the release by almost a month once the album leaked on to the internet. The album was released on iTunes on March 18th and the album will officially grace store shelves tomorrow. The biggest question plaguing the group was if it was possible to follow up the monster success of their debut. "Sophomore Slump" is a term thrown around quite a lot in the music industry but this album seems to be one. It's hard to say who was at fault in this gaff. I would place a decent amount on Danger Mouse. His production is so experimental that its impossible to hear even an influence of hip hop in it. It sounds like he listened to R.E.M.'s greatest mandolin hits and then produced this album. Don't take all the blame off of Cee-Lo on this one though. After all, he had to have given the okay for these tracks. But the biggest portion of the blame he shoulders is the lyrical content. In the song "Whatever" he vents "I love my girl more than I love myself/ She’s going steady with someone else/ I don’t know what else to do/ Said fuck me, well fuck you too". Now that's poetry. Even Cee-Lo's sultry alto can't cover up prose like that. The sad part is "Whatever" might have the best beat on the album. In the end, the album's not all bad. The first single "Run" seems to have that St. Elsewhere feel and energy. I have never been one to crucify a group for expanding their horizons but when they lose their identity in the process is when I get concerned. Rating: 5.3/10 MP3: Gnarls Barkley "Whatever"