GNARLS BARKLEY
Atlanta (10K Projects)
It has been something off an erratic ride for gospel-schooled rapper/singer CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) with their Gnarls Barkley project. Back in 2006, their debut single Crazy was a megahit as infectious as it was unavoidable, and its adjoining album St. Elsewhere was mixed soul, rap and offbeat pop to pretty solid effect.
Twenty years later – and 18 since their last release – Gnarls Barkley return for one last throw of the dice, with Atlanta promoted as being their final album. Although the sound throughout is more stripped-back than what has come before, Green’s voice still packs a mighty soulful kick – even with Burton’s more restrained approach to creating infectious, unique and multilayered grooves and soundscapes.
Pictures could be an Al Green classic in the making, while I Amnesia and Turn Your Heart Back On have a swagger to them that that’s hard to pin down, though it lies somewhere between gospel and pop. With this swansong, Gnarls Barkley draw more than just a promising final breath – it leaves you wishing there was more to come from them.
words DAVID NOBAKHT
