Gnarls Barkley - Atlanta (Album)

Credit: Butcher Billy

Gnarls Barkley - the duo of CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse release their third and final album, Atlanta.

Produced by Danger Mouse and co-written by Danger Mouse and CeeLo Green, Atlanta is the first Gnarls Barkley album in eighteen years and highlights the unmistakable chemistry between CeeLo’s soaring, gospel-inflected vocals and Danger Mouse’s lush, intricately layered production.  The album was preceded by lead single, Pictures.

“Life is a movie.  Thoughts are theatre, emotions are entertainment, and songs are cinema,” says CeeLo.  “Gnarls is the narrator… a noun even a person, place, and thing with main character energy to match.  Welcome to Atlanta.  Smile for the Pictures.”

Far from a reunion for nostalgia’s sake, Atlanta, named in tribute to the city both CeeLo and Danger Mouse are originally from, serves as a capstone to the Gnarls Barkley story.  After the whirlwind success of their first two albums the pair had always intended to record a third; life and other creative pursuits intervened, but the desire to finish what they started never faded.  Last year, the duo reconnected and set aside the time to bring their final chapter to life.

Few acts in modern music have matched the impact of Gnarls Barkley.  Their platinum selling debut St. Elsewhere (2006) earned critical acclaim along with numerous awards and nominations, including Grammys, Brits, MTV and Soul Train.  The album’s record shattering and somewhat accidental breakout single, Crazy, topped charts worldwide and became the first song ever to reach #1 in the UK based solely on digital downloads.  It remained at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine consecutive weeks and was later named the #1 song of the decade by Rolling Stone.  Their follow up, The Odd Couple (2008), further cemented the duo’s status, seamlessly blurring the lines between soul, hip hop, rock, and psychedelia.