Cee-Lo

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections

  • Arista

Rapper, singer, and former Goodie MOb mainstay Cee-Lo breaks musical boundaries at every twist and turn on this stunning solo debut.

Throughout the disc, Cee-Lo offers rapid-fire wordplay, growling vocals, and some of the sharpest, most soulful music to come out of the South in a long, long time.

He sets the stage by firing off scorching lyrics against a cool and simple bass and vibes-styled backing in the set opening “Bad Mutha.” From there, Cee-Lo drives home tracks as wild as the funky, horn-fueled lead single (“Closet Freak”), as hard rockin' as “Live (Right Now),” and as positively jumping as the red hot “Suga Baby.”

Like a lot of Goodie MOb's work, there's a sense of social consciousness simmering throughout the set—check out the call to respect women on “Young Man”—but there's also a free-flowing vibe that proves irresistible. Unlike most new discs, this one gets stronger as it goes on, as heard in songs like the ambient “Basehead Jazz,” the ultra-quick “Microhard,” and the gutsy “Under the Influence (Follow Me),” which sounds like a surefire hit, complete with guitar blasts, a scorching piano solo and smooth background vocals.

Kevin O'Hare

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