St. Elsewhere: A

Personally, I never would have guessed that the duo that got me hooked on rap (among other genres) would be comprised of a black midget and a white producer whose work most recently has involved a made-up band but hey, there it is. I guess you can't judge a book by its cover. Practically bursting at the seams with innovation, Gnarlys Barkley's St. Elsewhere is a CD that is extraordinarily difficult to classify. An old time movie projector literally provides the wind-up momentum for the opening track ("Go Go Gadget Gospel") and is soon followed by a bone-jarring beat in the ubiquitous and wonderful "Crazy". Skip a few tracks ahead and you're bombarded with techno music, the likes of which you'd never have expected to hear on this album but again, there it is.

The musical schizophrenia can be attributed to the incredibly gifted touch of Gorrilaz producer, Danger Mouse (who is the other half of Gnarls Barkley). Though he frees himself completely with "Go Go Gadget Gospel", using an infectious kinetic energy and what sounds like a church full of back-up singers, he is also smart enough to calm it down. If he had tried frantic on the geniuinely creepy "The Boogie Monster" it would have sounded more calliope than cataclysmic. Though heavy-sounds are obviously the currency with which Danger Mouse primarily deals, thus attributing to the rap sound, Gnarls Barkley is out to bust genres and break heads, using any synthesizer or instrument necessary, and they suceed admirably.

Of course, no matter what the sound a great album needs words and Cee-Lo is more than ready. Suprisingly funny, his morbid wit lends a light touch to songs like "Who Cares?" (which chronicles the battle of wits between a schizophrenics two personalities) and "Just A Thought" (where a man debates love or suicide). In the titular track Cee-Lo's raspy voice combines with a softer vibe to pull off one great R&B song. Plus "Feng Shui", a rapid-fire soliliquoy about decorating a new house, is the most inspired rap song to come along all year. Insanely creative, relentlessly imaginative, and intelligent to boot, this rap-techno-funk-dance-pop-rock-whatever album is pure symphonic bliss.