Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (2008)

If you need something to get the heads a noddin' and the toes a tappin' Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse can usually deliver. The key word in that sentence: usually. Gnarls Barkley swaggered into the mix dressed in Star Wars attire two years ago with the addictive, widely appreciated hit "Crazy" (See The Raconteurs, The Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, Nelly Furtado live covers), but up-tempo, dance inducing soul-hop seems to be the exception not the rule. The Odd Couple offers a number of easy to swallow party/lounge/groove tracks, altogether upbeat and catchy; however, some of the mixes are entirely uninteresting—albeit creatively produced. I found it far too easy to skip through nearly half of this album, while settling on the songs that either snagged me with an ass-shaking dance beat, throwback Cee-Lo soul tribute, or a Danger Mouse unique production hook. With most of the songs staying around the three minute mark, the album could have benefited from extending the bankable tracks and removing the doldrums altogether. Ultimately, there are 8 keepers on The Odd Couple, while the 5 others remain subject to interpretation.

Dance to "Run" & “Going On,” groove to “Charity Case,” and lounge to “Who's Gonna Save My Soul”