- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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A single-disc equal of "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below".... Even if it only sold 14 copies, it would still be the best record of the year.
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MojoA masterpiece. [May 2004, p.103]
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Cee-Lo is one of those rare artists who may indeed embody the fullest range of the black aesthetic (Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Thomas Dorsey, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Prince, are a few of the musical performers who come to mind).
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With a more succinct drollery and a better sense of studio control, Cee-Lo Green has outdone his fellow Atlantans [OutKast] on Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine.
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A major album from a major artist, Soul Machine works with a sonic, lyrical, and emotional palette that encompasses everything from joy to rage.
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Half God's gift to hip-hop, half man of the people, he never quite puts all his good tracks together or across.
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A strong experimental record that draws on Cee-Lo's malleable style of rap... one of the year's strongest hip-hop albums to date.
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SpinIt's a testament to both Cee-Lo's vision and the producers' artistic sympathy that the collaborations maintain a coherent, vintage R&B vibe. [Mar 2004, p.91]
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There are chakra-smacking pleasures here that could only have come from an artist of Cee-Lo's expansiveness.
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Once again Cee-Lo has recorded a peerless album, except this time he's recorded one that should connect, or at least deserves to.
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Q MagazinePart Sly Stone, part raving Baptist minister, Cee-Lo proves he's every bit as exceptional as his neighbours. [May 2004, p.100]
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VibeHis potent fusion of blues, R&B, funk, rock, gospel and hip hop has morphed his sound into something more Bobby Womack than Biggie. [Mar 2004, p.184]
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Urb[A] full clip of club bangers and radio rockers. [Mar 2004, p.108]
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A gleefully non-conformist delight.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe forays into "soul"... sparkle, as do his playful raps. But boast-heavy collaborations with Timbaland and Ludacris drag things down. [19 Mar 2004, p.66]
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At times, Cee-Lo does show the value of holding on to some of his rap. But he is more distinctive and effective as a singer, which makes part of this long, 65-minute CD feel like wasted time.
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The big improvement is in the songwriting: This time around, Cee-Lo works a memorable tune into almost every one of these eighteen overstuffed tracks.
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Where his pals Outkast seem like genuine freaks of nature, he sometimes seems apologetically weird.
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If labelmates OutKast had condensed Speakerboxxx/The Love Below into one LP, this is the kind of mixed bag it likely would've created.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 37
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Mixed: 1 out of 37
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Negative: 4 out of 37
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LarhondaC.Oct 7, 2007He is by far one of the best artist in the game today .
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roulakMay 2, 2007
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AshleyLDec 15, 2006The reson i gave you that 10 is cuz u me uncle