yeah, it’s 2:45 a.m. and i got bored. a new review for ya’ll to vibe with. if for some reason “fuck you” wasn’t enough of an incentive to pick this album and give it a spin, then let the part of the album that’s actually incredible and timeless. long after you tire of hearing “fuck you” every where you go, the rest of this album will serve you in the 11th hour.

god bless cee-lo green. hit the jump.

-grizzly

Artist: Cee-Lo Green
Album: The Lady Killer
Release Date: November 9, 2010
Record Label: Elektra Records

Cee-Lo Green is no stranger to pop stardom. After the decade-long success of Goodie Mob and the rest of the Dungeon Family came Gnarls Barkley, who berthed one of the biggest pop songs of this decade (“Crazy”). And amidst all of that success, Cee-Lo managed to release two moderate to very successful solo albums, …and his Perfect Imperfections and …is the Soul Machine, respectively.

So, how do you top that?

Release a universally relatable pop song for the radio, title it “Fuck You,” and watch it become a viral hit seemingly overnight. Not to mention, watch William Shatner cover it on Late Night TV and Gwenyth Paltrow cover it on Glee. By the end of 2010, it will be one of those songs that gets archived in your own personal “played out” mausoleum, where the song will emerge in the coming years to utter disgust or sheer joy, depending on how drunk you are.

The Lady Killer is Cee-Lo’s third solo outing, and most streamlined effort to date. Cee-Lo is right at home finds himself engulfed in the soul of the 60s, as you’ll hear on songs like “Old Fashioned” and “I Want You.” And on a similar side of the coin, you’ll find just as many contemporary pop songs, through the likes of “Bright Lights, Bigger City” and “Wildflower.” One thing remains a constant for the entirety of the record; every chorus is stadium-ready and undeniably laced with magic, namely due to Cee-Lo’s perfectly-executed tenor vocals.

Cee-Lo Green radiantly intertwines the soul of the 60s with the eccentricity and funk he’s boasted for the past 15 years. He’ll make you laugh and point fingers during “Fuck You,” do your best shimmy during “Satisfied,” and nearly cry with “No One’s Gonna Love You,” which can largely be credited to Band of Horses for writing such a brilliant song in the first place; also partly to Green for breathing a miraculous new life into the track.

There’s very little reason not to latch on to The Lady Killer as one of the year’s best records. While a theme isn’t overbearing or painstakingly obvious, the album’s Intro and Outro highlight that this is heavily centered on the women in Cee-Lo’s mind, and ridding of them for the most part. So couple that with the song titles and you’ve opened up a can of the funkiest and most cinematic can of worms Cee-Lo could possibly use to reel you in with.

Grade: 8.9/10