Cee-Lo Green – The Lady Killer [2010]
Written by Big D
“I remember when… I remember when I lost myyyyyyyy mind”
Cee-Lo Green has always been wacky. From his days in Goodie Mob, to his breakout hit “Closet Freak” from his first album in 2002, to his HUGELY successful collaboration with Danger Mouse, Gnarls Barkley, in 2008, he’s always been a little off-kilter.
It’s tough to argue against Cee-Lo NOT being a rapper. He started in a rap group, did a lot of rapping in his early career, and has released a number of rap records with different people. That being said, much like Andre 3000 (and there are a LOT of comparisons made between the two), Cee-Lo has always been one to explore the deep crevices of his vocal chords.
2010′s The Lady Killer is definitely “hip hop”, but its not “rap”, as there is very little “rapping” on the record. Listening to The Lady Killer is like going to a big elaborate stage show, a stage show of epic porportions, with pyro, and ballyhoo, and jugglers, trapeze artists, a huge choir, and a gigantic live band playing every music instrument known to man. It FEELS like an epic event, something that we see few and far between, specially from “rappers”. If the The Lady Killer is the only Cee album you’ve ever heard, you’d never think he was the same guy from Goodie Mob.
On the surface, The Lady Killer is an R&B album and Cee-Lo Green is an R&B singer, but few R&B albums of any era have this much pop and circumstance. Try to imagine the boogie nights feel of motown mixed with soulful, emotional crooning and the backing of a very potent live band. In many ways, this LP belongs in the 70s and 80s, not 2010. The album’s production is constantly bombastic; filled with lots of horns and trumpets, over-the-top percussion, crashing keys, violins, synths, all coming together to craft rich arrangements that would make Earth, Wind, and Fire stand at attention. But its true genius comes in the fact that no matter how obstreperous and obtrusive the album is, Cee-Lo brings an unquestionable humanity to the project.
As you can tell by the title, The Lady Killer is about the opposite sex. Cee-Lo touches on pretty much every single facet of the word “woman” and how they the effect that they have on males on a day to day basis. In addition, he also touches on every emotion that a person could possibly feel, from love at first sight (“Wildflower”), the feeling of pleasing our mate (“Satisfied”), intimacy and chivalry (“Bodies”), heartbreak (“Cry Baby”, “It’s OK”), all surrounding a playful colorfulness that doesn’t take itself TOO seriously, but still conveys the message. At times, Cee-Lo is vindictive towards the females who broke his heart, specifically with “No One’s Gonna Love You”, “Fool For You”, and the super-smash viral lead single, “Fuck You”. This adds layers to his character and shows vunerability rather than just outward bitterness.
Cee-Lo Green has always been one to embrace the funkyness of the days of the Temptations, Smoky Robinson, and the Supremes. The Lady Killer is a musical time machine to that era, and much like the ending of the original film version of The Shining, I can picture Cee-Lo there, in his suit, amongst all the great ones of the era. The Lady Killer is a triumphant album, brash and vibrant, yet down to Earth. Cee-Lo isn’t afraid to tell it like it is with his feelings, good and bad, but he does it with enough charm, class, and vivacity to keep away from emo blubberfest territory. This is a case where eccentricity is good.
3.5 Stars
