Cee Lo Gives Ex the Finger (Musically, of Course)

Gnarls Barkley channels The Great Lebowski

Y’all remember Cee Lo Green (nee Thomas DeCarlo Callaway): The former front-man of Atlanta-based hip-hop group, Goodie Mob, who paired with producer Danger Mouse, to form the groundbreaking duo Gnarls Barkley. It was due in great part to Cee-Lo’s funky gospel-soul sound (a hybrid of Bobby Womack and the Reverend Al Green) that Gnarls Barkley’s breakout single, “Crazy” (from their debut album, St. Elsewhere) became the first song in history to hit #1 on the UK charts simply by way of sales from digital downloads (thank you, I-Tunes!). The song went on to be voted “Song of the Decade” by Rolling Stone magazine.

Cee Lo Green performing at the 2006 MTV Music Awards

This past year has seen (and heard) Cee Lo in a number of one-offs and collaborations, including the Coca-Cola campaign “Open Happiness” featuring Cee Lo along with Janelle Monáe, Brendon Urie from Panic! at the Disco, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, and Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes; “Pimps Don’t Cry” featuring Eva Mendes, from the soundtrack to The Other Guys, “What Part of Forever” from the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse; and “Language of Love” from the soundtrack to Sex and the City 2.

Cee Lo Green in concert

Now, Cee Lo is back, with an upcoming solo album entitled The Ladykiller.

Already, he's kicked things off with a dramatic Paul Epworth-produced cover of the ballad “No One’s Gonna Love You More than I Do” by Band of Horses.

Check-out the video, below.

Cee Lo (with Danger Mouse) makes a great Bridezilla

As a follow-up, Cee Lo serves-up an hysterical, autobiographical song, in which he sings to/about an ex-gold-digging girlfriend and her new man. “F**k You” is not just uplifting, but downright infectious.

And while the full video won’t be released until later, this week; just yesterday, Cee Lo posted a temporary video à la an animated lyric-book, presented with big, bold white letters on brightly colored backgrounds. For whatever reason, the combination of toe-tapping rhythm, cheerful melody, and up-tempo meter, along with the vibrant but simplistic visuals of the lyrics just made me think of an R-rated version of ABC’s Schoolhouse Rock (i.e. Interplanet Janet, Conjunction Junction, and I’m Just a Bill, etc.).

"Georgia" by Cee Lo Green

Considering how much I’ve enjoyed the temporary video, I can’t wait to see what Cee Lo’s got planned for the real deal. Can you? In the meantime, go to Cee Lo’s website, at CeeLoGreen.com, where you can download “Georgia” – another single from The Ladykiller.

Cee Lo Green

Cee Lo Green
The Ladykiller
October 4th



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