Everyone knows Gnarls Barkley, and if they don't, they've at least heard a version of the musical collaborators' hit song "Crazy." And yet, until the song "F**k You" went viral on YouTube this past August, no one seemed to know Cee Lo Green.
The voice behind Gnarls Barkley and two solo albums, Cee Lo admitted in a pre?"The Lady Killer" release interview that he has spent his music career feeling like an underdog. Although his last solo album, "Cee Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine" (2000) was met with critical acclaim, it did not garner the superstar success that the artist was looking for. This series of mediocre responses led to a strategy shift, making his third solo album what Cee Lo refers to as a compromise, and what others might call a sell?out.
However, when the early release of the first single off "The Lady Killer," "F**k You," hit the Internet, no one seemed to be complaining. Playful, shocking and dangerously catchy, the single gave Cee Lo the last push he needed to gain long?awaited fame and notoriety.
Although the rest of the album does not quite live up to the wildly popular status of "F**k You," fans of the single can expect to hear Motown?worthy R&B with an added contemporary twist, carried by Cee Lo's unique voice and larger?than?life personality. Anyone recalling 2006's "Crazy" can attest to the fact that the artist's voice is not nearly as smooth as the typical Boyz II Men singer, but Cee Lo plays this to his advantage, and it is exactly what makes his sound so pleasing to the ear.
Now, don't be confused by the album's title. "The Lady Killer" is by no means a simple retelling of a rapper?turned?soul?singer's sexual conquests. Although songs like "Cry Baby" and "Bodies" suggest a certain "player" status, Cee Lo's slow?jam cover of Band of Horses' 2008 song "No One's Gonna Love You" is a sincere and emotional tribute to love. And if anything, the hit single "F**k You" demonstrates that the artist at least knows what it means to get dumped.
Despite the variety of attitudes toward love displayed in the lyrics, "The Lady Killer" is a mostly upbeat and feel?good album. Even with aggressive lyrics like, "F??? you and f??? her too," one still gets the feeling that Cee Lo is enjoying himself with every word. And that enjoyment is contagious.
Cee Lo tries his best to leave no fan behind. For listeners desiring a more traditional sound, the song "Old Fashioned" is exactly what the title suggests - an old?fashioned R&B throwback worthy of a group like The Temptations. On the other hand, fans of Cee Lo's Gnarls Barkley days can turn to "Bright Lights Bigger City," a synth?filled dance song about going out on Saturday nights and having a good time. And finally, for fans of his previous solo work, the artist has released an entirely separate free mix tape named "Stray Bullets," consisting of songs that didn't make it on the "The Lady Killer" album because of their more limited marketability.
Although it may seem like Cee Lo has a song for everyone, the nearly constant cool, upbeat sound of "The Lady Killer" comes dangerously close to being monotonous. For example, the song "Wildflower" is memorable only because of its extremely forgettable nature. Luckily, darker, slower songs like "Bodies" and "No One's Gonna Love You" save the album from feeling entirely one?dimensional and add badly needed depth to Cee Lo's happy?go?lucky repertoire.
Overall, "The Lady Killer" is a must?hear album for Gnarls Barkley fans who wish to get better acquainted with the voice behind the 2006 Danger Mouse?produced album "St. Elsewhere." For those who spent their childhoods belting out oldies like "I Can't Help Myself" and "Shotgun," Cee Lo delivers an enjoyable contemporary version of Motown classics. However, true fans of the R&B singer's music won't be able to avoid noticing Cee Lo's sacrifice of creative freedom in exchange for attention.
In "Bright Lights Bigger City," Cee Lo admits his desire for notoriety when he sings, "Sometimes you wanna go where everyone knows your name." After a single like "F**k You," Cee Lo's going to have a hard time finding a place where people don't.
