St. Elsewhere

Gnarls Barkley gained immediate notice as their single “Crazy” ascended the British charts on the strength of an overwhelming download frenzy. Its digital distribution showed the music industry where its future lies. The music, however, is schooled in a traditional past. Producer Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, The Grey Album) and former Goodie Mob singer Cee-Lo Green may use futuristic tools to attain their sound, slicing up beats and juxtaposing contrasting samples with freeform glee, but their main appeal lies in the neo-soul that roots these songs in a Sly Stone-Curtis Mayfield-Gamble and Huff tradition. “Crazy” is the obvious touchstone, but “Smiley Faces” is a close runner-up, sporting a vivid cinematic vibe. “Just a Thought” sounds as if it was taken straight out of the late-60s and earl ’70s and remixed to modern effect. The Violent Femmes cover “Gone Daddy Gone” is an odd and seemingly random detour here, further evidence of the duo’s eclectic tendencies. Better are the goofy, monster mashes – “The Boogie Monster,” “Necromancer” – where it’s as if Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (“I Put a Spell On You”) was being rocketed into the future.