Twitter [I know, hear me out] is kinda good for inspiration.
Homegirl I don't know [or maybe I do, I'm not good with screennames] seems to think that Cee-Lo as a singer doesn't compare to Cee-Lo as a rapper. And worse, that Cee-Lo's singing hinges on 'Crazy'. 'Crazy' is a dope vocal performance, honestly, but I won't use Gnarls Barkley in this. Won't use a Goodie Mob song, either.
First of all, Cee-Lo the rapper isn't too much different from Cee-lo as a singer. Distinctive voice, often lapses into the other personality, takes you to the corner outside the church. And to be clear, I'm a through-and-through stan for him - dude can flow in 6/8. Here's why I like Cee-Lo the singer better - and why I think he's just a little more ill when he's holding notes.
The man is a marvel live.+ His voice is a singing voice that happens to be an awesome rapping voice, not the other way around. Surely, his rapping doesn't sound unnatural or forced or anything, but the way 'looove' billows out of him here is just gorgeous.
Estelle - Pretty Please (Love Me) ft. Cee-Lo
+ The man has a gift for harmony. The flow on this guest verse is nice - the push that he gives every bar by backing himself up with the three-part, eventually breaking into song, is what really kills it. This is my jam.
Esthero - Gone ft. Cee-Lo
+ He sings because he's happy, and he sings because he's free.
Cee-Lo - The Art of Noise ft. Pharrell
Honestly, after listening to him for an hour, it's really hard to separate Cee-Lo's two skills from each other. He harmonizes all the time and his solo albums blur vocal lines all over the place. I think a lot of my love for him as a singer comes from joints like the Estelle one or the Asher Roth one where he shows up to just take it to another level. I'd probably feel the same way about guest-spot raps.
Here, have another.
Kelis - Lil Star ft. Cee-Lo
Goodie Mob still got some tour dates left. If you're within driving distance, get your brakes checked.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 1:41 
Tyler
;)
