Gnarls Barkley ““ “St. Elsewhere”
By Hae Jung Shin
May 8, 2006 9:00 p.m.
Although the origins behind the personage of Gnarls Barkley
remain intriguingly undisclosed, it is no secret that “St.
Elsewhere,” the first collaboration album between Atlanta
rapper and singer Cee-Lo and mix-master producer Danger Mouse is
likely to be the most genre-bending album of the summer.
The album’s first single, “Crazy,” has already
made history as the first download-only track to hit the UK charts
at No. 1, and with good reason. Resonating with the nostalgia of a
Motown hit, “Crazy” features Cee-Lo belting out with
the poignancy of a Southern soul singer atop Danger Mouse’s
’80s rock tempo and a strong bass line.
Overall, “St. Elsewhere” has an astoundingly
inventive and cohesive sound that will leave you reaching for the
repeat button.
Though the album’s cross-genre production (featuring
everything from arcade game sounds to flamenco guitar) should sound
disastrous, the conglomeration of seemingly unrelated sounds blend
perfectly with Cee-Lo’s evocative voice.
From the synthesis of gospel, marching band horn riffs and an
underlying garage beat on “Go-Go-Gadget Gospel,” the
album’s first track, to the warped Motown featured on
“Smiley Faces,” the album’s winning blend of the
sentimental and the ultramodern is expressed in the lyrics to the
sinister “Necromancer:” “The production is
progressive / but the reason is retro.”
Other successes include an electro-pop cover of the Violent
Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone” and the psychedelic
soul of “Boogie Man.” Gnarls Barkley may be mysterious,
but its accessible songs are anything but.
