Elly Roberts reviews
Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere
Distributed by
Warners
- Cat.no: 2564632672
- Released: April 2006
- Rating: 4/10
Spawning another monster hit might not prove so easy for hip-hop duo Cee Lo and Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) aka Gnarls Barkley.
Their record-breaking
single Crazy, took the music industry by storm, primarily through its
initial download success. Main feature of the single apart from the hooks is
Cee Lo’s amazing voice. Kids don’t know it, but it’s actually 21st century
soul music, not hip-hop.
Putting it bluntly, there isn’t another Crazy on
offer which might disappoint the casual listener. The album named after a US
hospital drama does not live up to expectation, though it will sell (w/c
May 1, No.1, UK album chart) based on the single.
Some of it has an Outkast feel: the rasping and freewheeling Go - Go Gadget,
Gone Daddy Gone, without then Fergie factor.
Dance-orientated Smiley Faces may well follow Crazy as the next single, with
its Motown beat and basslines, dressed by some spacey synths.
Low points include pointless and mediocre fillers like Boogie Monster,
Necromancer, Just A Thought (complete with Meg White drum bashing) and
cacophonous Transformer. Back on hip-hop territory, Feng Shui, with its
playfully mocking lyrics on how things should be.
Penultimate pacey and
expansive Storm Coming (shades of Massive Attacks’ Unfinished Sympathy) is a
welcomed crescendo, before Cee Lo’s soulful magic holds together an average
Last Time. Most tracks don’t make the best use of Cee Lo’s incredible
talents, and a solo career may bring more opportunity to broaden his appeal.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
