The Lady Killer - Cee Lo Green, 2010

I have a giant a soft spot for Cee Lo Green.

I have become especially aware of this since the show, The Voice, has returned. While my friends are mostly creeped out by Cee Lo's evil looking cat (named purrfect), or his tendency to flirt with his female teammates, I am utterly charmed.  Not because I am won over by his celebrity, or want to imitate his unique sense of style.  I am simply attracted by the fact that Cee Lo Green is a quirky guy who is not afraid to show it, nor is he ever notably  threatened by others' eccentricities.  There's room for everyone's brand of odd.


However, ironically, I've decided to write about his most widely accessible album to date, The Lady Killer, which is intentionally so, as he admits it's his attempt to broaden his fan-base.  To some extent, Cee Lo quiets his eccentricities in order to release some billboard-able singles, and not only did he achieve just that, but created a solid r&b album that sounds both retro-nostalgic and fresh at the same time.  Success.  The best part is, he doesn't really put his personality on hold for this record, but casts himself in two hard-to-hate roles as international spy and underdog.  Still,  even while, as the underdog, he's singing about pain and frustration, it always comes across as downright playful.

When I first bought this album, it was stuck on repeat for a couple months, but it has been a while since then.  I decided to throw it on in anticipation of his new album that's supposed to drop later this year (along with a Goodie Mob reunion album).  This week was the perfect opportunity, since the surprise snow inspired me to bus, and therefore have a bit more time for headphones in my day.  Also, I find the regular use of Bari Sax incredibly helpful in cold situations.

So let's begin at the start, with the slightly creepy "Lady Killer Theme Song", which sets a very James Bond-esque tone as Cee Lo smoothly warns that "when it comes to ladies.... (he has) a license to kill".  Although "Bright Lights Bigger City" isn't a perfect transition from the theme, it hangs on to a few Bond-sounding themes, especially violins that sit on high notes before tumbling back down to earth.  I don't know about you, but it gives me an especially espionage-tastic feeling, and I find myself itching for an entourage to escort me downtown for some weekend nightlife.  I will wear shades, of course.

There has been plenty said about "F*** You" already, but two things stand out to me as worth risking repetition:  First of all, coining "Forget You" as the censored version is some of the most creative censorship in radio-version history.  We basically get two songs for the price of one.  Secondly, lyrically, the entire thing is built on cursing out an ex that's treated him badly, and yet it is one of the most confident and fun songs of all time, full of sass and sarcasm.  Cee Lo is dancing though his heartache, making "F*** You" an ironically appropriate place for a bit of gospel music.  Example number one of Cee Lo's underdog status as well, building up our sense of sympathy.

"Wildflower" is probably lifted straight out of Cee Lo's flirting repertoire.  He pulls out every stop - horns, strings, piano, and lots of notes held forever.  I'm not going to lie, he caught my heart instantly with the line, "sexy is season".  Who can argue with that?  He might be a weird, little man, but he takes his job seriously as a professional charmer.

"Bodies" and "Love Gun" are together the album's primary nod to the never-fully-established 007 theme.  After songs of full blown volume and instrumentation, "Bodies" hits us with minimalism, supported primarily by finger snaps, a snare roll, and some muted trumpets.  It goes on slightly too long for my taste, and I'm always pleased when "Love Gun" brings us back with gun shots and a little more swagger.  I think the best thing about this duet is that, at the point we most expect to hear The Lady Killer himself feature prominently, a female voice (Lauren Bennett) is given space for the first time on the album.  The one thing that would highly improve this song is having someone like Janelle Monae du-et.  (hehe - sorry I couldn't resist).  I can't help but think they would make a sweet cat-and-mouse music video together.  What's done is done, but can this collaboration please happen sometime?

The next several songs on this album are super solid.  "Satisfied" has some more of that vintage happy-clappy energy, and in un-lady-killer-like fashion, he just wants to satisfy his girl.  "I Want You" is most of the time my favorite song on this album.  Although he starts out trying to sound like a cool player, he ends up letting everything go for his desire for his woman.  The song makes a full circle to the point that he is downright charismatic in his thankfulness to God for his relationship.  Also, I think it has to do with the arrangement of horns and strings, but "I Want You" makes me feel as though I should be walking a red carpet instead of cement on Venables St.

"Cry Baby" is another retro-fabulous fun, breakup song that stars not so much Cee Lo, as it does the Bari Sax. Here's the music video, and yes, that is Jaleel White from family matters, looking like a character somewhere between Steve Urkel and Stephan Urquelle. I mostly just want to dance with them.

"Fool for You" (which brought home the best R&B song Grammy this year) has a truly classic R&B feel and sound, and features regularly smooth transitions between the punchy, beat-driven verses and the chorus which hangs on the vocals and drops all percussion with the exception of some cymbal brushes.  At this point I'm wondering which is the act: is Cee Lo the Lady Killer, who pretends vulnerability to lure his prey, or is he an underdog dressing up to convince himself.  Either way, he has become a man of mystery.

"It's OK" sounds to me like the little brother of "F*** You".  It has the same, dance-through-the-pain kind of attitude and groove, but is less in the anger stage of grief, and more in the acceptance stage.  They say grief is less linear and more like a spiral, so I suppose Cee Lo is in the midst of a healthy recovery from rejection. In other news, "It's OK" has the least viral, but possibly best video of Lady Killer.

"Old Fashioned" is true to its name, harkening back to a 50's ballad with soul and class.  Oddly, it pairs well with the indie Band of Horses cover, "No One's Gonna Love You Like I Do".  In songs, the album ends on a mellow, slightly reflective and certainly heartbroken tone, which is why I feel the return to the loud and obnoxious "Lady Killer Theme" sounds terribly out of place.  But perhaps it is meant to draw attention to the juxtaposition of Cee Lo's underdog status with his lady-killer persona. In the end, it's all about winning over the ladies. As a follow up to his last solo record in 2004, Lady Killer might as well been titled Cee Lo Green is a Charm Machine.  

PS.In case you don't have this album and want it, you might notice that there was a Platinum edition, released November 2011, that includes two extra singles including the super-fun love song "Anyway".  Go for it, but I'll warn you that my favorite, "I Want You", is a different, less-awesome version.  So make sure you get that original song as well.  

The Stranger - Billy Joel, 1977

I'll admit that as an 80's baby, I got to know Billy Joel primarily through his compilation of "Greatest Hits", rather than individual albums.  I didn't miss much off of The Stranger, however, because 6 of its 8 songs are considered "greatest hits".  Still, when I had the chance to pick up the brilliant LP secondhand, I didn't think twice.  I've been surprised how listening to a smaller collection of songs from a prolific artist can be a good limitation; I find myself seeing connections between the songs and listening more intently to the less-loved tracks.

(Quick tangent: how hard is it to shorten this man's name?  I simply cannot refer to him either by his first or last name, and certainly not his initials!)

I've had this record for probably 4 years, but for whatever reason, The Stranger has made it on to the regular vinyl rotation, along with Piano Man, this past month.  Today I had my breakfast to Side A, and did some dishes to Side B, and now it's back on as I write some thoughts out.

The Stranger is as much a collection of stories as it is one of songs, because Billy Joel is as much of a storyteller as he is a songwriter. Appropriately the album begins with "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", a story of working class New Yorkers spending their lives making money to move up in class, but having no time or life left to enjoy.

The title track comes next, and ties together the slightly creepy image on the record cover with lyrics like, "they're the faces of the stranger, but we'd love to try them on," and "did you ever let your lover see the stranger in yourself?"  The song is bookended by a slower, melancholy melody, both whistled and played on the piano.  I think we are being invited to imagine the truths and secrets of the characters we meet on the album, who, although they can be familiar, are perpetual strangers, much like most of our interactions with others.

Even if you have never heard Billy Joel's name before, it is certain that you've heard "Just the Way You Are" at approximately 74% of weddings you have attended, being the classic, earnest, and well-written love song that it is.  Phil Woods' sexy saxophone solo also doesn't hurt.  I doubt that Bruno Mars will get half as much play as this does 30 years from now.  Yet, at the moment, its placement on the record following "The Stranger" is causing me to call its sincerity into question.  If anything, I love "Just the Way You Are" that much more.

"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" would have been reason alone to buy this LP.  This is such a great song - probably my favorite Billy Joel song of all.  Three "scenes" are painted for us, beginning and ending in the same place: our Italian restaurant.  The longest section known as the ballad of Brenda and Eddie was originally written as its own track, before being inserted into this epic piece that speaks of young love, old familiarities, and common cycles of love and life.  The whole piece is speckled with soulful sax lines and playful clarinet solos that punctuate a piece of music that is constantly driven by a forceful rhythm section.  "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" works for me on the level of a Symphony, where I am listening for what connects these movements to one another, while at the same time, trying to appreciate them individually.

I can often digest the first side of this record on its own, nearly as an album in and of itself, simply because of the feeling of completion that "Scenes" brings.  Sometimes that's how I feel the album should end - with the storyteller sitting at that familiar table at the Italian Restaurant, waiting to see if he would be joined by his old flame.

But, this is not the end of the album, and the record's Side-B takes turns playing sweeter ballads (ie. "Vienna"), and foot-stomping, rock-and-roll tunes (ie. "Only the Good Die Young").  I can't help but notice that the side begins with a song about not waiting passively for your dreams to come true, but that they (embodied by Vienna) are waiting for you to come find them, and it ends with a MLK inspired gospel tune, repeating that "Everybody Has a Dream".  Side-B is perhaps revealing a more positive aspect of The Stranger.  We might be lying, cheating, sneaking, beasts, but whatever our mask may be, and no matter how well we know someone, there is more to a person than we think.

Billy Joel rounds out the philosophy of "Vienna", with the practical theology of "Only the Good Die Young";  live life now, because nothing is certain about whatever comes next.  In this song he also offers one of the best tunes for doing any kind of chores to, because it's both danceable and sing-along-able. However, seeing as life is short, I don't really want to do the dishes...

Good thing I love to sing-along to "She's Always a Woman to Me" as well, or I wouldn't know what to do with the dramatic shift in pace.  I remember thinking at a very young age, that it was a stupid song.  Is he worried that she's going to instantaneously become a man?  or a toad?  However, eventually I gave the song another chance, and found it to be one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. In this love song to his wife at the time, He affirms that her woman-hood does not stem from particular "lady-like" or feminine qualities, but the fact that she is indeed, a woman.  An independent one at that, and he loves her.  Well, loved... he divorced that particular wife in 1982.  Don't think about that though.

The album ends with two songs not considered "greatest hits", but although they were never singles, are still great songs in the context of The Stranger, showing how deep the well of Billy Joel's talent for song-writing really is.  "Get it Right the First Time" is a blast - it's nearly as fun as "Only the Good Die Young" to do dishes to.  And "Everybody Has a Dream" shows off Joel's gospel chops, which organs, and choirs, and vocal ad lib (oh my!), before closing the album with a reprise of "The Stranger" motif on whistling lips and piano.  Which of course, just makes me want to start the whole album again, but I'm not sure my housemates feel the same way.  ;)

Peace out,
Danice

#10) Amy Winehouse: Back to Black, 2007

Why yes, this is my most embarrassing album on the list, thanks for asking! But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t seem to leave it off. Even though I don’t think we will ever hear anything remotely interesting or intelligent from her again. Even though I think in many ways, the album is a humongous fluke, and should not have gained the popularity it did. Even though Amy Winehouse herself really does not deserve to be on anyone’s top list of anything. Here she is, paving the way for the end of this decade, for white girls from Britain making good soulful music, like Adele and Duffy - who I enjoy far more - but must recognize that they probably would not have made it into the mainstream without Ms. Winehouse

I have decided to not spend a great deal of time in defense of why any particular album is on my list. However, there are two specific things that I must draw your attention to that also act as points of defense.  The first is the quality of production.  Back to Black gives us an old Motown sound and feel that works, even with Amy’s foul-mouth and bad attitude.  Other than Mark Ronson for production, I would give nearly all the credit to the backing band. The Dap-Kings are hands down the number one reason that your body can’t not groove out when you hear nearly any track on this album.   Just listen to You Know I’m No Good, and its phat beats layered with down and dirty saxophone and cutting trumpet tones. If it were up to me, I think I would have started the album with this track, but it’s Rehab that actually kicks it off.

In a way, the album mirrors the way Winehouse effectively walked into the mainstream brashly and unapologetically. Rehab begins as if we’re already in the middle of a conversation, as if we’ve already accused Amy, without having any introduction to her. 

It takes a couple tracks before completely blowing me away though.  What it takes is Me and Mr. Jones, and a brand new use of the f-word: “f---ery”. Only she could get away with making up a word and working it into nearly every verse. It has made it’s way up to my all time favorite use of an obscenity in pop music, based on its originality alone!

A few minutes later as Just Friends is blaring on my stereo with that its super groovy offbeat Bari Sax and horn shots, I recognize that this is a rather appropriate album for the Christmas season, considering the stereotypical plethora of alcoholic beverages and mood lighting. This calls for a Hot Chocolate. Spiked of course. And I return to listen to the rest of the CD while I stare in vain at our house’s 2000 piece puzzle. I don’t think the drink will help with the puzzle, but it sure makes Amy sound even better. No wonder she doesn’t want to go back to rehab!

The title track, Back to Black is so wonderfully bitter, it’s hard not to seethe at any old fling that went wrong. A sample of inspiring lyrics: “We only said goodbye with words… you go back to her, and I go back to black”. Oh the glory of dramatic sexual tension.

And how else could she follow up that song but with Love is a Losing Game. Here Amy puts aside some of her rage, and sunk slightly into a classy depression. You know, the kind where a very sad woman sits alone in her apartment wearing a red party dress? Well, that’s what I imagine. And unless I get up and do something, I’m going to begin melancholing with the best of them. Why yes, I did just use that as a verb! Amy’s inspiring to expand my vocabulary through the art of BS. Thanks Amy!

Luckily I don’t need to get up after all, since Tears Dry on Their Own strikes up. It sort of reminds me of a really ironic TV show theme song. But in a good way… and before I know it, emotions shift again with Wake Up Alone. At this point the album starts to feel somewhat manic-depressive. Still, I can’t help but love the old-school vocal harmonies on this track.

Finally, her ending with He Can Only Hold Her works similarly to Rehab in beginning the album. I can’t help but think that the album isn’t trying to be an entire separate entity, but instead is just a continuation of the great R&B that already exists.  I don’t want to move on to something new; I want to keep listening to good music all evening: I’m jumping all over my funk and soul playlists.  Amy (and her crew) inspires me to return to that classic Motown sound I haven’t listened to for a long time, and that deserves a great many thanks.