Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley's 2006 debut St. Elsewhere is a difficult act to follow, with a single that, in terms of sales and ubiquity, made "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" look like "My Pal Foot Foot." Although no songs on Gnarls' newest, The Odd Couple, quite match the irresistible exuberance of "Crazy," Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse show growth and consistent quality while still delivering their unique blend of hip-hop and classic soul. Danger Mouse's production on The Odd Couple draws from an even broader musical pallet, using '60s pop percussion, dub echo and painfully cheesy FM synthesis while Cee-Lo continues to deliver his powerful, Al Green-esque tenor.

The bulk of the album follows the rough model set on St. Elsewhere: catchy, deceptively dark R&B. In this vein, "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)" is a soaring, brass and bongo ornamented Jekyll-and-Hyde story, while on the future-blues of "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" Cee-Lo croons on dread and despair, wondering "If I'll live to grow old/Getting high cause I feel so lowdown."

This does not mean that Gnarls Barkley is content to merely fall into old tropes. "Whatever," "Surprise" and "No Time Soon" deliver psychedelic pop in the vein of Arthur Lee's Love, while "Would Be Killer" suggests a Tom Waits influence. Here, they succeed as protean pop-craftsmen, melding disparate elements of American music from the last half-century. And while The Odd Couple lacks a single of the magnitude of "Crazy," they prove themselves to be more than a flash in the pan, continuing to produce catchy, quirky pop and showing potential for a lasting career. Who knows, sometimes lightning strikes twice.