The Odd Couple
Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple
Warner
It was pretty much impossible to escape multi-instrumentalist Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton and vocalist Cee-Lo Green’s massive hit “Crazy,” from their 2006 debut, St. Elsewhere. Seemingly cheerful on the surface—hello party song!—it became weirder the more you listened to it and on their sophomore outing, the duo have definitely taken this darker side and run with it.
Never ones to go down easy, the pair makes The Odd Couple a smorgasbord of styles—the up-tempo first single “Run” is Motown-R&B-meets-1950s-L.A., while Cee-Lo’s gospel trained pipes take a mournful turn à la Tricky on “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul.” “Charity Case” is Gnarls at their surprising finest, as Danger Mouse spins things along with an unpredictable mix of chimes, organ and chain-gang grunts. No easy summer tune here (for fans hoping for another “Crazy”), but there’s lots for music lovers to sink their teeth into.
