Simply Cee-Lo Green

Cee-Lo - Suga Baby ft. Big Gipp & Backbone - Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections (Arista 2002)


Dangermouse & Jemini - What You Sittin' On? Remix ft. Cee-Lo & Tha Liks (Lex 2004)


Dungeon Family - Crooked Booty - Even in Darkness (Arista 2001)


I have been working on cultivating the music library at WLUW-FM Chicago (the best independent station in the U.S. coughshamelessplugcough), especially adding a good dose of rap/soul/jazz into the existing indie-rock dominated selection. I have no real problem with indie-rock, and actually do like a good chunk of it, but my tastes tend to usually bend toward black artists and their respected genres. Why? I’m not exactly sure, but I’m thinking it has something to do with the amount of 60s R&B I was exposed to growing up. My family is far from being considered anything close to musically inclined, but my dad always listened to oldies and whenever a classic R&B cut would come on (basically every 3 songs), he would crank it up and sing along. So I’m assuming that constant exposure has something to do with, or maybe it was my 5th grade obsession with Boys II Men. Either way, I am what I am.

This week I added Chromeo’s She’s in Control (not black, but definitely not white either), a decent compilation from jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery and one of my favorite albums ever, Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections. I can actually pinpoint the exact moment my obsession with the self-proclaimed "five-foot-six-inch god,” though I was exposed to him unknowingly through all of the early Outkast albums (who were a mainstay in the car cd player of that friend who was the oldest of my high/middle school click and was the first to get his driver’s license, meaning he was our sole mode of transportation). My first encounter with Cee-Lo came on a bright weekday morning in college while lying in bed and waiting for my roommate to get out of the shower. I was watching the college music station, which played more under the radar videos (read mainstream misses), and all of a sudden this robed bald black man appeared on my screen with a conniving smile. Then all of a sudden, an inaudible mumble, horn stab and the sexily whispered line ‘so freaky.’ Cee-Lo proceeded to croon with unparalleled soul passion about closet freaks, dancing around in multi-colored robes like a pint-size Isaac Hayes preaching about the good gospel of sweet lovin, but on red bull and vodka. I was completely obsessed from that day on and followed wholeheartedly where the reverend went.

Not surprisingly, Cee-Lo, whose real name is Thomas Burton (later changed to Thomas Callaway in devotion to his mother), was born in Georgia to not one, but two Southern Baptist ministers… hmmm, now where would that gospel influence come from? The singer/rapper/producer/songwriter got his start in the early-to-mid 90s as part of Atlanta’s immensely creative rap community. He was an original member and integral part of Goodie Mob, the dirty south rap group also featuring Big Gipp, T-Mo and Khujo, who alongside the better-selling Outkast, redefined the possibilities of hip-hop. Also a member of the Dungeon Family, Cee-Lo appeared as a singer and guest artist on a number of Outkast songs giving his nasal-croon plenty of chances to be heard. Through the years he has appeared on tracks from such diverse artists as Common, Santana, Black Eyed Peas, Trick Daddy and even background duties on TLC’s smash-single ‘Waterfalls.’ Lo split from Goodie Mob after being offered a solo deal with Arista (the same label that dropped the Mob for poor sales, and later he would be dropped for the same reason), and released the colorful ‘Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections,’ to much acclaim but lackluster sales. During this period, he branched out into many side projects including soon-to-be rewarding collaborations with Jazze Pha and fellow Georgian, DJ Dangermouse. The later project resulted in the surprisingly well-received Gnarls Barkley project (3 years in the making) and Cee-Lo’s seemingly departure from weird-sounding dirty south rapper to independent genre-defying multi-functional vocalist. Though his career is now 10+ years old, it seems to just now be taking off; and as he so much likes to reiterate, the possibilities are endless for his infinite creativity. The best may be still yet to come.

If you are curious, this is my short blurb for ‘Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections’:
Through all of the earlier Outkast, Goodie Mob and Dungen Family albums, the stumpy, soul-stirring Cee-Lo Green was the wild card, the essential but often overlooked individual characteristic that kept the music off-center and unique to itself. Finally given the go-ahead to go solo in 2002, Cee-Lo self-produced this incredibly fun album of rap, neo-soul, gospel and 80s inspired pop-soul for the major label Arista (kudos to them for releasing such an eclectic album). The focal point of the album is no doubt Cee-Lo's unmistaken octave-leaping nasal croon, which I would imagine Al Green sounding like if he snorted as much cocaine as Rick James did. His lyrics are as playful as you can get, displaying his penchant for multiple personalities, freaky tales and devotion to his god. The music is bright and buoyant, heavy on synthesizers and horns, protruding colors unseen since the 80s, and easily adaptable to whichever mood Cee-Lo may find himself in. This album is all the proof you need that Cee-Lo was one of if not the main creative spirit behind every project he has ever worked on.

I’m including:
-My absolute favorite Cee-Lo track because of the way it defines all of my unspoken feelings toward fine women everywhere, ‘Suga Baby’ from ‘Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections’ (Arista 2002) which features fellow Goodie Mob-er Big Gipp and rapper Backbone.

-The ‘What U Sittin’ On?’ remix of the Dangermouse and Jemini track which I believe is the first released collaboration which features DM and Cee-Lo, and also features Tha Liks, found on the 3-song 26” EP (Lex 2004).

-The amazingly fun ‘Crooked Booty’ from the completely underrated Dungeon Family album ‘Even in Darkness’ (Arista 2001).

Notable Newer Releases #1

The Cheebacabra - The Annunciation - Exile in the Woods (Mackrosoft 2006)


Thee More Shallows - Freshman Remix by Odd Nosdam and Why? - Monkey vs Shark (Turn 2006)


Takagi Masakatsu - J.F.P. - Journal for People (Carpark 2006)


The Cheebacabra – Exile in the Woods / Mackrosoft

Holy shit is this a skeletal funk-fusion gem, tight drum grooves, synthesizers… um synthesizing from every angle, boisterous bass and the occasional trumpet/sax/clavinet/melodica solo, future-funk finally has it’s bandleader. Who is this funky man of mystery? I have no idea, but he calls himself Cheeba and he has his credentials. Drafted into the Dust Brothers (Beck, Santana, Madonna, etc) production team at 18, Mr. Cheeba honed his skills before departing on his own which was followed with the soundtrack to ‘Fight Club,’ his label Mackrosoft started with his brother Aja West and a critically acclaimed 2003 debut album under the Cheebacabra moniker. This follow-up doesn’t come close to disappointing either; songs range from stripped down Curtis Mayfield on 'The Annunciation to Blaxploitation meets the Mario Bros. on 'Chatter' to voiceless Barry White on 'The Treehouse.' Madlib’s Yesterday’s New Quintet finally has the touring mate he always dreamed of, not to mention competition.


Thee More Shallows – Monkey vs Shark / Turn

San Francisco’s Thee More Shallows are a band on the rise. Three years in the making, their last full length, More Deep Cuts (Turn Records), gained critical acclaim and is still gaining momentum. This EP was recorded in much less time, but the perfectionist character remains, highlighting Dee Kesler’s songwriting and the trio’s brooding indie-rock. Thee More Shallows create dark, serene rock echoing back to My Bloody Valentine and the Velvet Underground but also still contains the youthful ambition of a band on the up-and-up. The highlight of the EP is their stark, unpredictable cover of Al Green’s (originally performed by The Temptations) ‘I Can’t Get Next to You.’ Gone is the soulful yearning and in it’s place a spooky, eerie almost stalkerish tale of obsession. It’s definitely one of the best cover songs I have come across in a long time, and makes the entire EP relevant if only for that one song. The other 6 songs don’t let down though, coupling the epic indie-rock with chamber and post-rock and just a touch of goth and electronica and also features a remix by Anticon’s Odd Nosdam with Why? This is definitely a band to keep a watchful eye on.


Takagi Masakatsu – Journal for People / Carpark

In my opinion the aural and visual worlds are very closely connected. Especially in our current ipod/headphone dominated society, properly soundtracking every waking moment has become a daily obsession for most of us music lovers. Modern music needs to not only stimulate our ears and minds, it needs to affect our visual surroundings, it needs to skew the subjective view of our current environment. Kyoto, Japan’s Takagi Masakatsu understands this more than most, especially thanks to his multimedia background, and his music sublimely reflects it. A classically trained pianist, multimedia documentarian and art-gallery exhibiter, Masakatsu creates visually stimulating compositions of finely manipulated melodies and fluttering ambient soundscapes. Released on Todd Hyman’s always amazing Carpark label, ‘Journal for People’ is an hour-long compilation of soft piano cadences, minutely diced instrumentation and oddly timed layering that owes as much to Alice Coltrane as it does to Aphex Twin. If you get a chance, you should really sample the accompanying DVD at http://www.takagimasakatsu.com/ to really get the gist of Masakatsu’s frame of mind. I highly recommend this album to anyone into ambient music, minute glitch or even more atmospheric jazz.

Shufflings #1

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Details of War - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (self-released 2005)


Errol Brown - Over Dub - Dub Over Dub: 27 Tracks Dub Extravaganza (Heartbeat 1996)


The Roots - Episodes - Illadelph Halflife (DGC 1996)


Every Sunday night I work the overnight shift at the glorious music-broadcasting mecca of WLUW-FM Chicago, usually going around 9 or 10p and finally pedaling back into my apartment at about 5a. I’m not complaining, I absolutely love it, but it only leaves me with about an hour and half of sleep before I have to get up and prepare for my 6-hour shift at my rent-paying job. So needless to say, I am usually pretty beat by the time I make the 30-minute traffic weaving bike trip north through the Loop, yuppie-town, Lincoln Park and Lakeview. The problem is that I want to update this audioblog about three times a week and I am left with very little energy on Monday afternoons to make clever and sometimes ridiculous connections between my music and everyday life. So I’ve devised this series called Shufflings teaming my love for randomness with my love for writing short music blurbs.

Every Monday I play on taking whatever the three songs next in queue on Itunes glorious Party Shuffle invention and write about them no matter what they may be (as long as they are in reasonable uploading length (i.e. probably not a track from Coltrane’s last concert at Olatunji). It will not only force me to write about tracks I may never get around to but also give you a sneak peak into the wonderful world of Michael-Radio aka my Party Shuffle (my Last.fm maybe a better actual Michael-Radio since it also takes into factor the amount I spin a particular artist but randomness is godliness dammit)… so enjoy.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! – Details of War – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (self-released 2005)
I guess it’s fitting that a track from the band that audioblogs like this one literally brought from being a bedroom boredom project to one of the most talked about bands in 2005 be the first to grace this series. The success of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah could have never been predicted, at least not the speed nor the way of passage, as the Brooklyn quintet morphed from eager young nobodies embodying their 80s indie-rock heroes to infectious saviors of the indie side of indie-rock by self-releasing, self-promoting and self-distributing their way into the ears of every blogger with an interest in music in one short summer. ‘Details of War’ shows up half way through their self-titled debut following a 1-minute toy xylophone segue way and finding the boys at maybe their most melodic moment. The track slowly builds from yearning warble to an invigorating call-to-arms highlighted by a simple yet effective repeating harmonica gasps. Nothing overtly special here, but it brings to the table just enough to keep you coming back again and again, which of course is the CYHSY addiction.

Errol Brown – Over Dub – Dub Over Dub: 27 Track Dub Extravaganza (Heartbeat 1996)
This song is off probably the best dub compilation to be released in the 90s, two decades after dub and reggae found their zenith. The 27 track compilation pulls from reggae standards across the board as mixing board extraordinaire, Errol Brown, crafts a seamless, relaxing blend of everything that makes dub so intriguing. Nephew of the late Duke Reid, Brown was raised and educated in some of Kingston’s finest studios recording seminal reggae artists like Alton Ellis, Peter Tosh, U-Roy, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Gregory Isaacs, etc etc etc amen; the man recorded and mixed the cream of the crop. He also appeared in the amazing Rockers movie, which I suggest, to anyone interested in seeing the true reggae artists in their prime in their element. I’m not positive if this is the same Erroll (spelled with two ‘L’s on AMG) that fronted the interracial English funk and soul group Hot Chocolate. It could possibly be, but I don’t want to be feeding you the wrong information, so if you know drop a comment and educate me as well.

The Roots – Episodes – Illadelph Halflife (DGC 1996)
Goddamn do I love The Roots; to me they are everything that hip-hop should be, quick, witty, street-wise rhymes care of Black Thought, a steady, effective drum beat care of the multitalented ?uestlove, thick bass lines by Leon Hubbard and a swirling, unrelenting sound that is as ghetto as it is psychedelic. To me the greatest thing about The Roots was how they created albums instead of singles, a characteristic they’ve seen to be moving away from as of late. In my opinion all hip-hop should be backed by a live band, there is something that just completely takes a song to the next level when you strip away a stiff preprogrammed beat and let true musicians bring the song to life complete with raw energy and inevitable mistakes. Not to mention Black Thought is probably the most underrated emcee in the game.

Noise|Beauty

Archie Shepp – Attica Blues – Attica Blues (Impulse 1972)


Monk Hughes & the Outer Realm – A Piece for Brother Weldon - A Tribute to Brother Weldon (Stones Throw 2004)


The Blood Brothers - Burn, Piano Island, Burn - ..Burn, Piano Island, Burn (Artist Direct 2003)


So Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is apparently the biggest indoor aquarium in the world (at least according to the website, I don’t have the exact statistics so I’ll just take their word for it). I, being the aquarium/zoo fanatic, not that I like to see animals caged up or anything like that but I do think it’s amazing seeing those creatures in close proximities, have been wanting to see this monumental fish tank since the day I moved to Chicago back in December. But, like all exhibits of this nature, it costs money, and I guess being the biggest indoor aquarium in the world doesn’t come cheap because the entrance fee is the equivalent of three meals (that’s how I judge all prices). So it has been hard for me to justify a trip out there for financial/food-ancial reasons. But alas, the good people at Shedd have deemed one entire week out of the year to opens it’s pearly gates to the public and offer free admission for those willing to wait in line. And by pearly gates I mean a giant komodo dragon balloon, and by free, I mean you can walk around the small section behind the lobby but not any of the interesting exhibits like the oceanarium, wild reef or the special lizard exhibit. Being eager and a bit naïve, I stood in line for 45 minutes anyways battling a mix of thrusting wind, a beating sun and miles and miles of raucous children. I’m a patient person and can put up with this kind of family bullshit, well at least at large amusement parks and apparently aquariums, so I stood in line with my eye on the prize; and apparently the only person in the entire line consisting of hundreds of people with out a child.

I finally made my way through the belly of the rubber komodo dragon and through the glass doors where I was met with another line, the winding kind you have to wait in at Disney World. Another 15 minutes, no problem. So I finally make it in and into on of the 4 available out coves for us freeloaders. While I can’t be for sure, I’m pretty sure there were fish on the other side of those crowds of people. I made several attempts to catch a glimpse of a fish or even a turtle, but the closest I could get was about 20 feet. Remember that I severely dislike crowds and even more crowds of children, I finally gave up and head for the exit, my bike eagerly awaiting the ride back to the apartment. But leaving, I glanced into one of the tanks and realized how strange it was that just one piece of glass separated the peaceful tank and the yammering crowds. I started to think about music that I liked that teamed both sheer raucous noise and underlying beauty. My initial thoughts was the avant-garde jazz movement of the 70s with artists like Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, etc all exploring the possibilities of their instruments, pushing them pass melody into strangely beautiful worlds of controlled noise. And then how those ideas found themselves in seemingly all genres, not to mention a genre simply labeled ‘noise,’ that ranged from the feedback manipulating indie-rock of Sonic Youth to the paranoid hip-hop of El-P. So I picked out three of my favorite raucous tunes to highlight that portray this pretty well, though are not nearly as ridiculous as some of the noise out there.

Archie Shepp – Attica Blues – Attica Blues (Impulse! 1972)
Saxophonist Archie Shepp is an interesting character being one of the busiest and wide-reaching jazz artists in the 60s and 70s. His career began with a bang, using his sax to display passionate outbursts melodic or not, but he would later turn to contemplative bebop, ballads and blues in the 80s. My favorite album of his is by far 1972’s ‘Attica Blues’ that catches Shepp in a comfortable place between these two polar opposite styles. He mixes avant-garde jazz with vintage big band, contemplative soul and up-tempo funk making a political statement about the Attica prison massacre of 1971. It is very much an eclectic album which kicks off with this soul-stirring outburst care of a funky electric guitar, horn blasts, Latin percussion and a wailing chorus by Joshie Armstead and Albertine Robinson. Very loud, energetic and soulful.

Monk Hughes & the Outer Realm – A Piece for Brother Weldon - A Tribute to Brother Weldon (Stones Throw 2004)
This is definitely one of Madlib’s least sought out albums as he completely strays from his hip-hop roots to bring a free jazz tribute to Weldon Irvine, an innovative late funk-soul-jazz keyboardist heavily sampled in hip-hop most notably by Tribe and Mos Def. The album, recorded under the moniker Monk Hughes, is a spaced out jumble of funky keyboards, free percussion and vibraphone outbursts all care of the skilled hands of Madlib. For the most part it is straight raucous and unfocused, but upon multiple listens certain melodies start to unveil themselves and the album really grows on you (or maybe just me).

The Blood Brothers - Burn, Piano Island, Burn - ..Burn, Piano Island, Burn (Artist Direct 2003)
Straying away from the soul-jazz genre, the Blood Brother’s ‘…Burn, Piano Island, Burn’ was a complete obsession of mine for like 6 months after it’s initial release. I can’t explain it, but I found and still find the album ridiculously intriguing from the absolutely insane lyrics to the sheer energy of every second of the album. The Seattle quintet released the album right at the peak of my hardcore stage and I have never been interested in the genre since; for me this is the hardcore zenith and I need not explore the style anymore. There is underlying complexity, passion and soul in each one of the songs on the record and it is infectious to say the least. The only thing that really tops it is their live show, which I strongly recommend, no matter what shitty band they may be touring with. Interestingly enough, their recent material has transformed into very strange almost pop music; this will be a band to always keep a cautious eye on.

Def Jux Renaissance

Mr. Lif - Murs iz My Manager feat. Murs - Mo Mega (Def Jux 2006)


Aesop Rock - Zodiaccupuncture - Fast Cars, Danger, Fires, & Knives (Def Jux 2005)


El-P - The Day After Yesterday - Collecting the Kid (Def Jux 2004)


With the excellent new Mr. Lif album, ‘Mo Mega,’ hitting the shelves in a week or two along with new full-lengths from El-P and Aesop Rock on deck, we’re just short a Cannibal Ox reunion of a Def Jux label come full circle. And goddammit it’s about time. It’s been 6 years since ‘Def Jux Presents…” initially hit shelves and completely twisted the rap game 180 degrees unearthing underground hip-hop and introducing rap to a whole new generation (of mostly white kids). Within two years, El-P’s indie-label side project turned emotional emcee launching pad released completely solid albums from New York’s Cannibal Ox and Aesop Rock, Boston’s Mr. Lif and his own proper full-length, ‘Fantastic Damage.’ In 2001, Can Ox dropped the dark sci-fi infused The Cold Vein featuring the vivid images and ridiculous rhymes of Vast Aire and his more quick-mouthed partner Vordul Megilah. Teamed with El-P’s industrially thick and subtly jazzy beats, the duo’s only album surprised hip-hop heads everywhere focusing the attention back on New York’s flailing rap scene. In the same year, Aes-Rock followed up his critically acclaimed ‘Float’ on the much more experimental Mush label with ‘Labor Days,’ and album so original and potent that instant success sent Aesop into a reclusive hermit state which took him years to recover from. The following year saw the debut full-length from giant dreads of Mr. Lif, an educated Boston emcee who has a penchant for critical observations, political comments and a quick, throwback rhyme flow. 2002 closed out with ‘Fantastic Damage,’ El-P’s turn to take back the mic and finally living up to the potential that was so blatantly apparent on every Company Flow track. In two very short years, Def Jux went from birth to international success and being labeled as the savior of rap, a tag that until now was considered maybe a preconceived notion.

Between 2003 and 2006 Def Jux released a slew of albums and compilations featuring decent artists all in the Jux vein, but none with the same individual voice or vision of that initial outburst, save some decent instrumental hip-hop from RJD2 (before he became obsessed with teaming up with lackluster emcees) and a very underrated album from Rob Sonic. El-P seemed determined to break as many new rapper friends as he possibly could, when instead he should have been focusing all his efforts and undeniable skills on his already established core. A couple releases last year hinted at this upcoming renaissance including Fast Cars, Danger, Fire, & Knives, Aesop Rock’s EP featuring a completely reinvented and finally completely confident Aes-Rizzle and Collecting the Kid, a collection of El-P productions previewing his new space-funk style that is sure to encompass all of the upcoming releases. New light was finally peaking from behind the dark high-expectation cloud hanging over the Def Jux fam and 2006 may be the year when they return to their place on top of the underground hip-hop totem pole (though it’s gonna be hard to knock Stones Throw off).

Mr. Lif’s Mo Mega is without a doubt the starting point for this revelation, and the album is the quality output you’ve come to expect from the multi-faceted emcee. Letting the politics that were overly abundant on The Perceptionists’ album take a back seat (but of course not completely absent), Lif sounds like he is having fun for the first time. On ‘Washitup!’ he finally matches those ridiculous (and amazing) dreads with a rasta/dancehall vibe humorously scripting a conversation between himself and a very attractive but filthy lady fan. Personally I’m not a big Murs fan, but he absolutely kills it on ‘Murs iz My Manager’ coaching the ins and outs of celebrity-ism to Lif backed by an amazing beat and the best horn line I’ve ever heard in a rap song (damn Lif, I didn’t know you could produce on that level). You also get a good idea of El-P’s new production technique, which remains thick, but less paranoid and industrial, instead, he brings the funk with a vengeance. Honestly, Mr. Lif has been the most consistent of anyone on the Def Jux roster, and this is further proof of that fact… cop as soon as you get a chance.

I for one am ridiculous excited about what’s still to come this year from the Definitive Jux. It’s refreshing because I had just about given up on the label; I should of known never to under estimate El Producto.