St. Elsewhere

Owing to mixed reviews of St Elsewhere, I borrowed a friend's copy and at the end of my first listen I thought what a weird mix of styles and songs. But I played it again and by the third play I was hooked. This is a real mix of soul, funk and hip hop and it shouldn't really work but it does, mainly because of Cee-Lo's smooth vocals! At only 35 minutes it's quite a short album, but the most interesting thing will be the next release from this duo to see if they can sustain their new found fame.

Much of the reviews for St Elsewhere evaulate all the tracks in relation to its mindblowing single 'Crazy'. While it is probably pertinent to mention that there are no other tracks that reach the sublime level of that song, it may also pertinent to say that Crazy is one of the best songs of the last five years and would dwarf most tracks on most albums by most artists. Putting Crazy aside, there is much to enjoy here, from Dangermouse's dynamic, shapeshifting - but not fussy - production, to Cee-Lo's powerful singing, nursery-rhyme raps, clever word-play and general explosive charisma. Fans of Gorillaz should love this for its humour, its sonic invention and its unique hybridity (soul, gospel, hip hop and electronica - amongst other things). There are some throwaway moments - mostly cartoonish sketches expanded out unsuccessfully to song length, but I will set those aside to focus on the highlights...

The title track brilliantly marries suurealist hip hop in the mold of CLOUDDEAD with bursts of Curtis Mayfield soul to devestating effect. Like Quannum stalwart Lyrics Born, Cee-lo cqn shift vocal ranges dramatically at the drop of a hat, constantly stimulating and surprising. Smiley Faces is the closest the album has to repeating Crazy's winning pop formula, all surf-guitar and gospel and great hooks. 'Just A Thought' continues Crazy's theme of mental illness to a darker, more uncomprimising extreme over thunderous, DJ Shadow-patented beats: "When I was lost I even found myself looking in the gun's direction / Well i've tried, everything but suicide / But yes it's crossed my mind". Necromancer is creepy but cartoonish hip hop about defiling dead bodies, while Storm Coming apes Latyrx's similar Storm Warning but they will be forgiven because it is so good. Finally The Last Time throws a little sex into the equation with Cee-Lo crooning over production that reminds me of Tricky's masterpiece Maxinquaye. Overall, it holds together nicely, and I hope that - like Gorillaz - this is not a one off gimmick and that they can surpass this with a sophmore effort.

Dangermouse is at the top of his game at the moment, he is putting the midas touch on everything he touches - Demon Days was brilliant and so much better than the previous Gorillaz album (partly thanks to Danger), and the recent collaboration with MF Doom, entitled The Mouse & The Mask, is a straight-up masterpiece. If you like hip-hop, you need to check it out.

Gnarls Barkley is unlike either of the aforementioned projects - it really is elsewhere, as the name suggests. If you can compare it to anything, it would have to be Andre 3000's half of Outkast's output. The hyperactive beats and high-pitched vocals of opener 'Go Go Gadget Gospel' and 'Transformer', for example, would have sounded right at home on The Love Below.

But generally speaking, this album is original in its own right and defies comparison. The single 'Crazy' is a classic pop song, and was always destined for the number one spot - the sort of song that you hear on the radio and instantly notice and get excited about. Such songs are rare these days and, thankfully there are at least four or five of them on this album. The title track, 'Smiley Faces', 'Just A Thought' and 'Who Cares?' all catch you on the first listen and will continue to rock your Ipod for the Summer of 2006.