Cee-Lo Releases Hits Compilation
"Best-Of" Disc Highlights Evolution of an Exceptional Artist
Oct 23, 2008
Ever since his emergence from the rap group Goodie Mob, Cee-Lo (aka Cee-Lo Green, aka Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine) has distinguished himself as one of the most original lyricists and performers in contemporary R&B and hip-hop music. His more recent work as half of the duo Gnarls Barkley has further illustrated the originality that distinguishes his music from anything else generating airplay on mainstream radion stations.
His newest release, Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine, is an exceptional retrospective of Cee-Lo's pre-Gnarls catalogue.The album succinctly summarizes most of the artist's best material from Goodie Mob and from his two solo releases, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections and Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine.
Goodie Mob Tracks
The disc includes some tracks from Cee-Lo's Goodie Mob days -- including "Soul Food," the group's biggest hit, and "Cell Therapy." Cee-Lo's performance on each track is solid, but compared with his solo work, it becomes clear to the listener that Cee-Lo's music far exceeds the boundaries of rap -- or even the broader label of hip-hop.
Diverse Musical Influences
The album deftly balances Cee-Lo's myriad musical influences, ranging from gospel (most notably, on "Free") to seventies funk and soul to rock and rap. His lyrical delivery on the title track blends elements of a country preacher's fire-and-brimstone sermon (complete with an amen corner singing in the background) over a Parliament-influenced horn section. The horns also emerge on the Timbaland collaboration "I'll Be Around" and, in a more sparse, melodic vibe, on "One for the Road."
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The highlight of the disc is "Young Man," a must-listen for the younger generation of hip-hop fans and wannabes. Cee-Lo's lyrics address the anger of disadvantaged youth but also cautions them to not use that anger to hurt others: "Hey there young man, why degrade your only sister / and call them bitches and whores? / What if one day someone feels the same way / about that daughter of yours?" Here, as in many other instances on the disc, Cee-Lo shows that he is no run-of-the-mill rapper, confined to the overexposed topics of sexual conquests and can-you-top-this materialism.
Professor Arrington's Grade
Long-time Cee-Lo fans likely will argue that the compilation does not include all of his best work. The album might have been more impressive if "Bass Head Jazz" had been replaced with "Country Love," his collaboration with Blues Traveler frontman John Popper (from Perfect Imperfections), or if I Am Selling Soul" had been dropped in favor of the confessional "Die Trying," of the strongest tracks on the Soul Machine CD. Such omissions, however, only diminish the album minimally. The disc's tracks show that Cee-Lo makes rap (and contemporary R&B and pop) for people who may not realize that they can like rap (or contemporary R&B and pop).
Closet Freak earns an A- for the artist's singlular, genre-defying conglomerate of musical styles.
