With it's cinematic origins The Odd Couple is the natural title for the
second album by a pair who seem to spend as much time in wardrobe
as the studio and whose recordings are often compared to film scores.
Their greatest hit, 2006's "Crazy" was even built around a chunk of a
spaghetti western soundtrack. Yet after the success of 2006's
excellent St Elsewhere, the collaboration of singer Thomas "Cee-Lo
Green" Callaway and producer Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton has
become a permanent institution.
Two years on, The Odd Couple stands up proudly alongside it's
predecessor. The basic recipe hasn't been drastically altered-Danger
Mouse's skittering beats and snap-crackle-pop production still provide
the perfect platform for Cee-Lo's mighty, soulful wail. If anything, the
pair have refined and sharpened their approach to a razor's edge. The
key is the way the musical flavors intersect: the Arthur Lee-meetsN.E.R.D. stroll of "Surprise," the jubilant jumble of gospel/soul/synthpop
on "Going On," the Otis Redding-shares-a-treadmill-with-Outkast feel of
the single "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)." The cumulative effect is one
of a group whose trick-bag has a never-ending supply of happy
surprises.
