Most people who recognize Cee Lo know him from the group Gnarls Barkley, the hit act he tag-teamed with DJ DangerMouse. Others will instantly know him as a former member of Goodie Mob. But for those of you who don’t know, here’s the skinny:

Cee Lo started as a rapper in the group Goodie Mob. He left to pursue a solo career in the hip hop/R&B/jazz genre, Goodie Mob got mad and titled their next album One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show as a jab at his departure, he released two acclaimed solo albums, did the Gnarls Barkley project with DJ DangerMouse, and now has released his third solo record, The Lady Killer.  If you haven’t noticed, I’m not too good at short histories. But let’s be honest. Everyone reading this heard the song “Fuck You” a couple months ago or so and has had it in their iTunes playlists ever since. You’ve been waiting with great anticipation for this album, and your day has finally arrived. The Cee Lo album is here, and to be quite honest, it’s just as amazing as the single.

The album starts with Cee Lo speaking over some soft piano, sounding like he’s on stage at a jazz club, and quickly moves into a 007-styled musical, giving the audience imaginations of bullets and fast cars.  The following tracks are full of jazz, R&B, and vintage Motown blues.  As much of a throwback these songs may have, it’s entirety has been modernized in a very appropriate way.  It seems to be a very popular theme these days, and you can see how people do it correctly, just as how you can see other people do it atrociously (I’m sorry, Bruno Mars, I know you are extremely talented, but just because you dress Motown, doesn’t mean your music isn’t boy-band pop).  Unlike most hip throwbacks, I actually highly enjoy this one.  And if you’re like me, you’re exhausted of the horrible 80′s hipster throwback and you’re ready for something refreshing.  As cheesy as it sounds, Amy Winehouse was ahead of her time with this.  The soul throwback was one of the important factors that played into the genius of that album.  Though there were a few albums after that mimicked that vintage feel, hers was the only one that stood out that year.  Now, at the end of 2010, it seems many others are  starting to step out on that curve.  My biggest fear; it spreads everywhere.  At the moment I am loving the theme, but I know that I could easily hate it a year from now if all the acts in 2011 use it.  I can only hope that artists will use it wisely and not oversaturate the market.  However, when something is great in this industry, it gets completely taken advantage of and it spoils.  So that being said, let’s just enjoy it for now.

Listening to this album instantly brings back the feel of Ottis Redding, Sam Cooke, James Brown, etc.  The writing is phenomenal, the production is high, and the mixing is perfect.  With a lot of albums lately, you can almost hear the rushed mixing and mastering, like it was trying hard to meet a deadline.  The Lady Killer seems to have taken its time trying to make everything perfect, and a lot can be said for that.  Let’s take the track “No One’s Gonna Love You” for example.  The song is actually a cover of the indie group Band Of Horses track by the same name.  I’m primarily against artists doing covers…that is, unless they do it like this.  Cee Lo’s version of the song punches the Horses version in the taint with a fistful of talent and originality.  I’m not saying that Band Of Horses is untalented, but that indie shit is everywhere and it gets tiring very fast.  To put it simply, to end the album with the songs “Old Fashioned” and “No One’s Gonna Love You” back to back, is beautiful.  It ends the album perfectly.

The key tracks on this album would be “Fuck You,” “Old Fashioned,” “No One’s Gonna Love You”, “Love Gun,” and “Cry Baby.”  Really though, there isn’t a single song on the album that stands out from the rest as being sub-par.  Be prepared to have this album playing in your car for a while, because you won’t want to stop listening.  My only grief with the album is the outro to the song “Bodies” because it sounds like Cee Lo is getting blown.  And if it’s one thing that could ruin a moment, it’s the image of Cee Lo getting blown.  Other than that, the album is seemingly perfect, and definitely one of the best albums of the year.  It overly deserves the five star rating.  *****