Gnarls Barkley is actually a duo, comprised of former Goodie Mob rapper Cee-Lo and producer Danger Mouse – two artists of mixed pedigree. Cee-Lo and his cronies/collaborators Outkast helped pioneer a new brand of psychedelic soul-hop: lavishly ambitious, but with a tendency to irritate as frequently as it inspired. Danger Mouse was behind the phenomenon that was The Grey Album, a Jay-Z/Beatles mash-up that was far more compelling in theory than in practice, and also performed some production duties on the last Gorillaz album.
Mouse’s nifty production does manage to keep some of Cee-Lo’s more annoying excesses in check, but results are still rather hit-and-miss. The Zane Lowe-approved smash hit ‘Crazy’ is the obvious stand-out, and sets the tone for much of the rest of St. Elsewhere – spangly, retro soul-disco, with strong vocal hooks.
There are some excellent twists on the formula dotted throughout the album, too. The title track is a more sombre, melancholy counterpoint to the good party vibes on ‘Crazy’, while ‘The Boogie Monster’ is sparse, tight, soul music – only slightly ruined by some characteristic lyrical silliness.
‘Feng Shui’ finds Cee-Lo back on familiar ground with some enjoyably lush, theatrical hip-hop, while ‘Necromancing’ is a thrilling detour into the cartoonish horrorcore-rap honed by the likes of Gravediggaz and the Geto Boys.
Things run aground when Cee-Lo indulges in the bombastic prog-hop excesses that have plagued him throughout his career – tracks like ‘Transformer’ leap headlong into sillier territory, showcasing a fierce musical ambition that doesn’t always have the talent to back it up.
In the main, there is plenty here that will please people who were attracted by the Big Hit Single, but anyone expecting Cee-Lo to deliver the album he has always threatened will have to look, erm, elsewhere.