Barkley Versus Barkley

It's Monday morning and I'm feeling fine. Normally I'd be cranky as fuck, and frankly, I was feeling as cranky as fuck until a beaconing light came-a-callin'. Now, you don't know me (presumably) but I hail from the Illadelph, home of the funkiest fresh tracks, kickass meat and cheese sandwiches, and sports teams that keep the Philly Phan mesmerized all year long but ultimately heartbroken. I salute these symbols of my birthplace like any good hometown gal should, and also like any good hometown gal comin' up in the era of big hair I love me some Charles Barkley and dope hip hop. So what if these two were combined, making a sweet love combo a la silken milk chocolate and peanut buttery goodness?

Enter Gnarls Barkley (yes, they replaced Chalres with Gnarls, how clever!), a melding of the minds between chocolate city's most upright citizens, Cee-lo and Danger Mouse. Hot stuff, comin' through. What makes these early leaked tracks so exceptional is the presence of two left of center sensibilities who are able to create convincing work as opposed to just leaving the audience more confused. This collabo is akin to those super big Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...big and yummy and just melt so well in your mouth, your hand, and everywhere, making a big fat delicious mess.

The first track, "Crazy" is minimally lush (the ULTIMATE oxy moron), utilizing bass and drums and sparse background vocals to steer the melody during the verses. The dry, yet engaging bassline is front and center in the mix, complimenting Cee-lo's molten upper-range vocals nicely. The chorus kicks in with an old school soul strings sample (I know, I know, it's been done already...but it fits well here). Cee-lo's charm radiates through his phrasing and raw emotion. At the end of the day, this song ROCKS and lives up to the Charles, or Gnarls, or whatever, name.

The second track is a cover of The Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone". A perennial high school classic, this new version does little to vary from the old, with the exception of replacing the little skinny white dude caterwalling the lyrics with a fat black dude who can actually sing. That effervescent, omnipresent bassline is there, and that's essentially what's always made the song enjoyable, new and old versions alike. But it's here for your listening pleasure nonetheless.

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Gnarls Barkley - Gone Daddy Gone