Gnarls Barkley seems like the most unlikely of artistic progressions: a former Dirty South rapper turned soul star and a former Athens, Georgia DJ turned virtuoso hip-hop producer collaborate to form a side project influenced by Motown, Seattle and Manchester. Famous for mixing, producing or manipulating other people's work (his combination of Jay-Z's Black Album and the Beatles' white album being the most notable), DJ Danger Mouse has finally delivered his own creative work (with vocals supplied by Goodie MOb's Cee-Lo Green).\nSupplied with biting production that varies from Gospel to rock grooves, St. Elsewhere almost works. In its moments of success, it's as phenomenal on first listen as Moby's Play seemed before every song was licensed. Green's voice is stunning -- it's probably the only non-synthesized instrument on this recording, but what an instrument it is -- and the well-developed rhythm central in every song keeps most tracks from being plodding.\nHowever, there is a serious lull in the middle of the album, and none of the tracks manage to shock and enthrall like the second, "Crazy." That song features a scratchy drum sample, a simple soul bassline and an absolutely jaw-dropping vocal performance from Green. Danger Mouse's recent success as the producer of Gorillaz's Demon Days is clearly audible, but "Crazy" is one of the only tracks that seems free of Damon Albarn's influence. It's a just a great song.\nUnfortunately, that high watermark is never again reached. "The Boogie Monster" tries to be spooky but only manages to be cloying, with Green's lyrics getting stupider as the song progresses. "Transformer," for all its creativity, is just flat-out annoying.\nThe later tracks ("Necromancing," "Storm Coming") take on a reggae influence that seems ill-fitting (Green even tries to channel Dizzie Rascal in the latter). They're not terrible, but they're not great either. "Who Cares" is one of the only success stories on the second half -- it uses minced '70s keyboards to supplement a great chord progression, and at times it seems reminiscent of some of the better downbeat Massive Attack songs.\nWhat's funny about collaborations like Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz or Handsome Boy Modeling School is the fact that the resulting albums are often times pretty disappointing. Sometimes the two creative forces yield stunning results -- this album has a few -- but on a whole, this record is no great departure from the norm.\nStill, despite what will be a short shelf life, St. Elsewhere deserves credit just for the few times its reach comes close to its grasp. Maybe, like Gorillaz, the second time will be the charm.
\n --Nate Bethea
