The Lady Killer

Cee-Lo Green branded himself  “The Soul Machine” with his ambitious 2004 solo effort of the same name, but that album's collaborations with Timbaland and T.I. left the James Brown devotee still rooted in hip-hop aesthetics. With The Lady Killer, Cee-Lo delivers a fulfilling full-length album rooted in pre-Sugarhill Gang R&B. Summer 2010's viral instant-classic “Fuck You” (coyly known to radio listeners as “Forget You”) is of course present, but there’s plenty more to satisfy everyone who's been craving even more soul, funk, synth, and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink in their urban pop ever since Outkast called it a day. Follow-up single “Bright Lights, Bigger City” is Cee-Lo’s brashest venture into glammy '80s debauchery to date and just might be The Lady Killer’s biggest triumph. “Satisfied” is shimmering old school soul backed by a girl-group chorus. And let’s not forget Mr. Green’s ongoing fascination with indie rock: the singer who tweaked the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone” into a 2006 R&B radio hit returns with a heartwarming cover of Band of Horses’ “No One’s Gonna Love You.” One of 2010’s most dexterous pop efforts could also be its most endearing.