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Monday 08 November 11:21 a.m.
There can be no doubt that people are talking about Cee Lo Green – that his is a name on the lips of millions of music fans. But are they talking about Cee Lo in the right way, for the right reasons? Mention his name to most people and they’ll likely say, “Sure, that American bloke who had that song, Crazy, first single to go to No 1 on downloads alone”, or, “He was in that band, whadya call ’em, two dudes, dressed up as female film stars?”. Or, “Oh, got ya, he’s that fella with the tattoos on his face, bald head, big teeth, has that cool new song called F*** You, right?” By the end of this year, we will no doubt be able to add to such remarks variations on, “You bought that Cee Lo guy’s new album, The Lady Killa? No? Well, you need to”.
Nothing wrong with those responses; nothing at all. For, yes, Cee Lo did indeed co-write, and sing, the biggest song of 2006: Gnarls Barkley’s aforementioned Crazy, a track that managed to sneak over the threshold of the Top 40 a lyric about mental illness and depression, to the sweetest of pop-soul melodies. And, yes, he and his Gnarls cohort Danger Mouse did show a remarkable penchant for dressing up in the weirdest wigs and costumes the wardrobe department could fling at them. And, yes again, not content with having one of the most successful singles of the 21st century so far, Cee Lo is bidding for a second gargantuan piece of the action: F*** You is shaping up to be 2010’s most controversial, most blogged-about, most viewed, most listened-to, most undeniable song.
So what’s the problem? Well, none, as such. It’s just that, welcome and justified and understandable though all the chatter is, there is one thing that keeps being overlooked. One thing you rarely, if ever, hear when Cee Lo’s name comes up in conversation. Like: the man’s a singer. Search high and low through the endless Cee Lo CVs, features and reviews online and you’ll be lucky to come up with more than a handful that make any reference whatsoever to what is arguably the Man from Atlanta’s most crucial, heartbreaking and indisputable gift: he sings like an angel and the devil combined. Or, put another way: Cee Lo’s is the greatest male voice in American music today.