Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (Downtown Music, 2008)

For a good part of 2006, no matter how hard you tried, it was difficult to make it through the day without hearing Gnarls Barkley's upbeat-musings on mental well-being, or lack thereof, in the shape of their hit-song Crazy. It was unlike any other music of the time; it was, and still is, an amazing song and deserved all of the hype it received.
I bought the group's first album, St. Elsewhere, on the strength of Crazy, and while it had its moments, I was disappointed by the album as a whole. Don't get me wrong - the pairing of Danger Mouse (note: if you need to be told who Danger Mouse is, you have been living under a rock for the past five years) and Cee-Lo Green had its moments of brilliance, however, there was just too much filler on the album.
As a result, I was reluctant to purchase the duo's latest album, The Odd Couple. Following the phenomenom that was Crazy, the hype surrounding the new album has been minimal; and while many bands suffer from a sophomore slump with their second album, Gnarls Barkley have gone above and beyond anything they have done previosuly.
The album's second track, Who's Gonna Save My Soul, is sublime, rueful and amazing. It has the feel of a classic soul track, re-invented for a time rife with post-millenial tension. As soon as I heard it, I rushed out and bought the album.
Cee-Lo Green once again delves into the darker regions of his psyche, his crooning equal parts mournful and menace; Danger Mouse's production work equals anything he has done thus far. With Crazy, Gnarls Barkley established themselves as a great singles group; with The Odd Couple, they have establsihed themselves as a group capable of creating entire albums brimming with imagination, creativity and soul. Very cool.

Key Tracks: Who's Gonna Save My Soul, Run (I'm A Natural Disaster), Would Be Killer

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