The Odd Couple - Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration between Cee-lo Green (of the Goodie Mob) and Danger-Mouse (the creator of the Grey Album and producer of the Gorrilaz Demon Days), had a lot to live up too following their debut album and the success of their first single, Crazy. The Odd Couple not only achieves this, but surpasses it with a flair rarely seen, or heard for that matter. St Elsewhere was a brilliant album, whereas The Odd Couple is a work of genius, with all the maturity and control their previous album lacked, and executed without losing the creativity and intelligence that made Crazy and Smiley Faces so popular. That’s not to say that The Odd Couple will receive the same sort of attention as their debut, it would be unfair to say that popularity is a measure of something’s worth (as Paris Hilton’s musical success clearly demonstrates), and the thoughtfulness of this album may well put the more pop orientated of Gnarls Barkley fans off.

Unlike St Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley’s latest offering has a sense of completion about it, a sort of musical flow that makes the album more than just the sum of it’s parts. Perhaps this is because the production of the album was so closely tied to the musicians themselves (Danger Mouse produced The Odd Couple as well as providing the instrumentation and contributing to song writing).

But whatever the reason, each song is seamlessly integrated, almost orchestrated, into an album of depth and substance (rather than a list of songs). It’s this depth and substance, combined with soul-laden vocals and the instrumental skills of Danger Mouse, that make The Odd Couple a work of genius. The feel of the album is almost philosophical, a psychological portrayal of insecurities and disturbance and, at the same time, an album of dualities (as the name suggests). Take, for instance, the last song on the album, A Little Better, a song about accepting the past and dealing with pain. Danger Mouse’s funk-infused backing track contrasts wonderfully with Cee-lo’s rich, gospel tones and the melancholy lyrics. Effectively, what you end up with is a meaningful, funky song with what can only be described as a soaring hook and a smooth introduction, sort of like a clever. black Michael Buble soaked in Jamiroquai and slowly set on fire. Slowly.

She Knows is another of my favourite songs (on an album full of my favourite songs), reflective, laid back, intriguing and beautiful, which talks about Cee-lo’s mother and her death. Run (I’m a Natural Disaster), on the other hand, sports a future-funk, upbeat backing track, with surprisingly menacing lyrics: “You can’t win child/We’ve all tried to/You’ve been lied to/It’s all ready inside you/Either you run right now/Or you best get ready to die”.

So, if funk/groove/hip-hop/soul is your thing, or if you love St Elsewhere, or, in fact, if you like music, then The Odd Couple is an album you’ll treasure, and maybe even learn something from. Complete with dance inducing beats, barbed lyrics and everyday philosophy, Gnarls Barkley’s latest offering is a masterpiece.
Run children, run to your nearest computer/music shop and purchase The Odd Couple, it’ll be good for you.