Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Coupleby David Shreve Staff Writer

Two years ago, public radios the world over succumbed to craziness. Cee-Lo Green and DJ Danger Mouse, better known by their stage name Gnarls Barkley, experienced world fame from their single “Crazy.” Fast-forward through the international fame, platinum record status and even our grandmas singing “You make me craaaazy!” and the duo now gives faithful listeners The Odd Couple.

And here’s the thing: if Gnarls Barkley were asked to describe their double act in two words, it would be “odd couple.” Where Danger Mouse is tall, lanky and has bushy hair, Cee-Lo Green is short, round and bald. Physical descriptions aside, The Odd Couple is, for a lack of a better word, an odd follow-up to their debut album, St. Elsewhere.

Album one is cartoonish, experimental and ultimately light-hearted. The sophomore release is the encompassment of life’s oddities: it’s dark and light; absurd and serious; religious and profane. It’s an album that lingers on wanting things out of life and finding a place to belong.

As the album starts and ends with the sound of a movie projector, you get the feel that a story is being told. Tracks like “Blind Mary,” about a blind girl who just happens to be named Mary, tells the singer’s story of how he fosters a relationship with a blind girl who cannot judge his ugly face but instead values his “prettier inside.” It’s these kinds of stories that make them everyone’s stories, and it’s the reason The Odd Couple is a mysterious yet beautiful album.

Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Odd-Couple-Gnarls-Barkley/dp/B0013H8QEG