Crazy Good

Somewhere in between Big Boi’s bed sheets and an insane Luther Vandrose dose of vocal superiority is where the listener has landed.  Enter Gnarls Barley’s opus St. Elsewhere by increasingly popular underground mix master Danger Mouse and underappreciated Cee-Lo.  Cee-Lo, aka Thomas Calloway’s, bravado voice resonates with power and mockery that makes the underline humor surrounding Gnarls that much more potent.  His roots from the south with gospel, soul, and funk are apparent throughout and the fact that his past works with Dungeon Family, and the current ties to Goodie Mob are void here as this is his own beast; bulky and tamed. 

By now any prior knowledge to the duo has been flooded with chart topping ‘Crazy’ which has broken all sorts of pre release records on the digital front in the UK.  So, it’s only befitting to call this one of the many highlights of the album as it mirrors all that Danger and Cee-Lo have to offer as DJ and verbal poet respectively.  Marvin Gaye would be floored by the reconstructed classic as it is nothing short of brilliant by being given a shot of adrenaline in accelerated dance and quality.  The influences of Danger are most apparent in the amazing ‘Just A Thought’ where sampled beats mimic the mixing done on the underground sensation Grey Album and vividly paint the backbone for Cee-Lo’s vocal splendor.  ‘St. Elsewhere’ and ‘Storm Catching’ play out like an Outkast tune with its blues/jazz thrash in the background and splendid story telling.  In fact, I could not think of a healthier compliment - all judgment aside - then to say that this is on par with similar works by Andre 3000 and Boi in both production and consequence.  Hell, even when they are mocking or paying homage (it’s completely up in the air on some of their songs) to the Violent Femmes in their revved up version of ‘Gone Daddy Gone’ they still show an arrogance of superior control with what they are doing.   

Some songs like ‘Smiley Faces’ and ‘The Last Time’ are a mixed bag of bad 80’s memories and over production but still somehow compliment the surrounding tracks as segways if not reverberation.  Still, others are just too damn goofy like ‘Transformers’ but, again, this isn’t a detraction as much as it is an amusement and reality check for the duo’s branded sense of humor on social stock.  Danger Mouse is a required taste once again as he repeatedly uses electronic drum rolls for his remixes in abundance to often times frustration.