There’s something instantly commendable about being able to bring a song titled “Fuck You!” to such critical and mainstream success.
For Georgia-born Thomas Callaway, better known as Cee Lo Green, this kind of endearing quirkiness has always been a crutch in a musical career that was long overdue for celebration. And on Jan. 14, the hip-hop provocateur is making a stop at the Bender Arena. Students get in for free with an AU ID and guests can come for $5.
As an artist, Cee Lo is defined by his offbeat nature. He blends a number of different styles in his music and channels them through his unique voice, peppering the twang of Southern hip hop with nuances of soul and funk. His lyrics traffic through the usual fare of observations that come with everyday living. At times, they can be rather insightful and introspective, hitting a number of different layers of emotion at once while sounding delightful.
However, that appeal seems to have been mostly overlooked during Cee-Lo’s solo career. His first two albums, “Cee Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections” and “Cee Lo Green… Is The Soul Machine,” faced a lukewarm reception amid favorable reviews and critical praise.
But a few years later in 2006, Cee Lo was almost impossible to ignore. He worked with Brian Burton, better known as DJ Danger Mouse, to form the funk duo Gnarls Barkley. His impassioned voice reached millions of listeners with the track “Crazy,” which got regular radio airplay and topped charts as a commercial success for their “St. Elsewhere” debut album. “St. Elsewhere” was praised for its stunning effort, receiving several notable nominations and winning a Grammy. His sophomore album with the duo, “Odd Couple,” was well recieved, though it didn’t produce another hit like “Crazy.”
Cee Lo remained mostly unseen by the public eye since his second album with Danger Mouse only to have his career explode in late 2010. With the release of “The Lady Killer” — the title of the album touting his lovable inner braggart — Cee Lo’s career would reach new heights as “Fuck You!” went viral last summer.
Jarringly bitter yet soulful, Cee Lo’s single propelled the album’s success. The track has become a universal anthem for anybody spurned by a former love. The sing-song and humorous quality of the chorus only makes the lyrics all the more ironically enjoyable. Cee Lo is bereft of any tact and proud of it, displaying his vocal prowess with an unmatched swagger and harmonizing through some incredibly catchy hooks.
The album itself is seductive and smooth, showing a more finely honed production craft compared to his previous work. The album is as good as the single would suggest.
scho@theeagleonline.com
