Hoping to capitalize on all the praise and accolades that album received, the dynamic duo returns with their follow up, appropriately titled The Odd Couple, and, in the process, proves that this was more than mere luck.Picking up where things left off, The Odd Couple plays “outside the box” in the same vain as St. Elsewhere. While not as fluid, however, it is more complete and comes off a little more well-rounded. I enjoyed the first album quite a bit but Odd Couple is the perfect mixture of solid production from Danger Mouse and quality vocals supplied by Cee-Lo. Proof of that can be heard on the eerie “Would Be Killer” or the somewhat somber “Who’s Gonna Save Me Soul”. Both tracks are remarkably well made but, overall, I would say that the album exceeds all expectations. Most sophomore LP’s fall short of an impressive debut but Gnarls Barkley’s imperative reluctance to go commercial is the driving force behind that. Immediate success overwhelms some people so it’s good to see that all this praise from critics hasn’t gone to their heads. Lord knows it would mine, but good thing these guys are well grounded.
As far as concepts on this album, it’s pretty much an expansion on the aforementioned of St. Elsewhere. Cee-lo, vocally, vibes with each track and what can I say? I just can’t say enough about how good the production value here is. Danger Mouse is a maestro behind the boards and it’s amazing how he’s able to orchestrate this ubiquitous symphony, sort of like an opera. Plain and simple, Gnarls Barkley may be an alternative sound but the more people that tune in, the more mainstream that sound will become. Quality music is hard to find these days and in a industry where everything is overly saturated, a group like Gnarls Barkley is, literally, a diamond in the rough. Regardless of how odd they may be.
Rating: 7.5 headphones out of 10
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