LA Times Review
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/exte...listen-gn.html
What: The latest from two-time Grammy winners Gnarls Barkley, “The Odd Couple,” hit the Web last night, and judging from early listens, the duo has returned with an album that’s just as dark and haunting as its 2006 debut, “St. Elsewhere.” Cee-Lo defines the mood early on, opening the soul scorcher “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” with this line: “Got some bad news this morning, which in turn made my day.”
Gathering an album from early Internet leaks is never a prime way to experience a new release, but plenty will be watching the sophomore effort from the duo of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo. “St. Elsewhere,” which was nominated for an album of the year Grammy, was responsible for one of the more electrifying singles in recent years, the genre-busting “Crazy.”
“Crazy” peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s singles chart, but to give an indication of the crossover appeal the song had, it also appeared on Billboard’s rock and R&B/hip-hop tallies. Ultimately, the song won a Grammy in the hard-to-define category of best urban/alternative performance.
Early verdict: "The Odd Couple," due April 8, appears no less adventurous in its production. Take “Going On,” which opens with some light guitar wailing before breaking to a hand-clap-driven rhythm, and then segueing into a call-and-response, almost gospel-like feel. Or the acoustic strumming of “No Time Soon,” a beautiful ’70s-inspired soul ballad that drifts into a world full of spacey effects and synthesized rhythms, even recalling recent work from the Flaming Lips.
The massive success of “Crazy” perhaps somewhat obscured the fact that “St. Elsewhere” was a spooked record, full of nightmare imagery that was dressed with Danger Mouse’s lush production. “The Odd Couple” seems to take this vision even further, with “Charity Case” packed full of vintage haunted house effects, and some background “ooh-ahhs” descending around Cee-Lo like a swarm of zombies.
“Would Be Killer” goes beyond that, its cymbal-heavy rhythm soon obscured with all sorts of electronic skitters. Cee-Lo, whose impassioned soul vocals are a highlight on nearly every track, practically gives up on “Would Be Killer,” going for more of a growl.
But it’s important to note that this mood is never off-putting. “Whatever” is a delight, a bratty, childlike anthem to being a loner, with Cee-Lo telling his own mother to shut it, and “Blind Mary” is full of carnival effects.
Additionally, album closer “A Little Better” is a laid-back showcase for Cee-Lo, who taps his inner Curtis Mayfield to coast over the song’s sweltering bass lines. It’s a sigh of relief, with Cee-Lo recognizing that his inner demons aren’t all bad.
If the album doesn’t have an immediate knock-down grabber like “Crazy,” it’s already a fascinating listen, and worthy of far more attention than this initial reaction can give. Time will tell whether it proves to be another album of the year candidate, but Cee-Lo’s vocals, especially on the arresting slow-burner of “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul,” should provide for a few attention-grabbing singles.
The album is scheduled to be released on April 8th. So that's a one early hell of a leak. Anyway, if anybody wants a link you can ask for it.
, great band
and it's already gone 
I hope their album debuts at good position, at least. It's incredible.