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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

2004

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Album Summary

Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine is the second studio album by Cee Lo Green, released on March 2, 2004.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.67

Votes

12337

Genres

  • Hip Hop
  • Soul

Reviews

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Aug 31 2022
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2

Im glad a man with T-Rex arms can make it in the world these days. He might not be able to do a push up, touch this hands together, put his arms around someone etc. but he can make an absolutely mediocre generic album.

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Jan 20 2021
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3

It's like a soulful panda learned to make rap music

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Jun 02 2021
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1

Though Cee-Lo might also wish to be a little bit taller and perhaps a baller, it’s important to note that Skee-Lo and Cee-Lo are two different people. I should know that. Their voices are completely different. Cee-Lo’s voice is very unique, though I would not consider it a soulful voice, as the title of this album would suggest. It’s more of a Sarah Silverman, Megan Mullaly cute voice that is best enjoyed in SMALL increments. Unfortunately, "Cee-Lo Green … Is the Soul Machine” has SIXTEEN songs on it and none of them are soul. After listening to this album, it is apparent the only link between Cee-Lo and soul is that he shares a last name with Al. A lot of the arrangements here seem dated and don’t hold up well over time. But it’s his voice that is really difficult to endure, especially on Scrap Metal. In this song, CL takes on a hard persona and sings about being strapped with a MAC-10 and threatening to box cutter your face while telling people he doesn’t give a f**k. Sorry, but that stuff coming out of your mouth in that cute voice is straight comedy, CL. Buuuuuut..., that got me thinking about Sarah Vowell from early episodes of This American Life. If you didn’t know, Sarah Vowell was born to play the voice of Violet Parr, the American teenager forced into a life of secret superpowers in The Incredibles. Vowell, however didn’t just begin here career there. She used her fun, thought-provoking essays and contributions to This American Life as a springboard. Voicing Violet probably wasn’t a career highlight for her personally, but it was appreciated and she was spot-on perfect. I imagine she’d rather be writing for the New Yorker just like CL would rather be singing. And so, I would like to present this album as a launchpad for Mr. Green and address him directly. Mr. Lo: Don’t worry, bud, your voice is fun and you’ve got a talent for singing, but that voice is best used elsewhere. I’m thinking Spongebob Squarepants or similar cartoons, maybe one of those greeting cards that makes funny noises when you open it up or even stand up comedy where it can truly be valued, admired and even imitated. Rest assured there are big things waiting for you. This isn't the end, it's only the beginning. Oh wait, this is the guy that does the 'Fuck You' song?! I Love that song. It's hilarious! _________________________________________________________ *Correction from the Elvis review (https://tinyurl.com/yhbfbm68). The reference to Curb can be found here: https://youtu.be/1-7W1sftcXw

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Mar 07 2021
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3

It's fun and playful but I can't completely get into it. I think I prefer his Gnarls Barkley material.

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Jun 02 2021
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2

This album is a heaping pile of grits, not offensive, but also not very good without something else added to it. This album is missing cheese, shrimp, or even just some basic butter to keep it interesting. I think the guy who goes “oh oh oh oh oh oh” on The Art Of The Noise might be the best part of the album. His part is a total of about 15 seconds on the album. I’m stretching for compliments here. Childz Play is like a bad circus attraction soundtrack. Cee-lo’s voice is unique and grating some times, but not always. Conclusion: I do not think that Cee-lo is the soul machine.

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Jun 02 2021
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1

Wow, is this man full of himself. The opening & closing tracks tell me pretty much all I needed to know about him and set me up to dislike the album. But first, I was loathe to listen to this at all, given the sexual harassment/rape charges that removed him from the public eye a decade ago. And it was super hard to stomach the misogyny & violence contained in this album while thinking about the woman who brought those charges against him. It's a little bit (but only a little bit) too bad, because a couple of the songs could have been enjoyable. He employs catchy beats and seems to have a real talent with both his voice and his rhymes. But there was just too much other stuff for me to get beyond to be willing to give the rest a chance.

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Mar 21 2024
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4

Don't get why this gets such bad reviews. Beats and grooves are fire, arrangements are dope. Nice gem

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Apr 06 2022
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2

I don’t know how a cee lo green album made this list. He’s not very good. This album felt like it would easily forgotten during the 2000s. There were several better albums then. Only a couple songs on this album were okay. His voice and singing style is a bit weird. The beats and vibe was ok but nothing special. 3.9/10

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Feb 14 2022
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4

Pretty good! I kind of don't like CeeLo's singing voice but I liked the big-band style hip hop sound overall

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Apr 18 2021
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4

Starting to notice that anything with the Pharrell touch is a good sign. Old school southern styles big Outkast vibes. Can also hear a bit of Anderson Paak as well. The One was my highlight, sick TI verse

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Apr 04 2022
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5

So. Damn. Fun. Fuck CeeLo though.

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Aug 22 2023
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2

Remember when Gnarls Barkley put out their great debut record, “St. Elsewhere”, and was pretty much the biggest thing on the planet in 2006? But what about George W Bush and the gang fucking everything up? Or when Dick Cheney shot that dude in the face while hunting and then the dude he shot apologized to him for getting shot? I can’t be the only one who remembers Sanjaya and Taylor Hicks belting it out on American Idol? Surely it wasn’t the same year that Twitter launched and Mark Zuckerberg opened Facebook to the public? And how about when those bastards at Fox cancelled Arrested Development and put its final four episodes up against the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics? Or when Pluto was stripped of its planetary dignity and classified as a dwarf planet and Microsoft unleashed a digital reign of terror upon the world with Windows Vista? Look at all the terrible things that happened that year…Isn’t it all quaint compared to this earthly hellscape we inhabit in 2023?

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Dec 09 2021
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2

I mean, it was ok until I got to "Glockappella" what a stupid piece of music

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Nov 11 2020
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1

Don't like his voice and found the songs consistently boring. Only managed the first half of the album before I switched off.

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Jan 05 2024
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4

haha YES!! not only do I love the dirty south and particularly an Atlanta artist who put southern rap on the map—but this is *also* the album that my father-in-law bought when CeeLo’s “fuck you“ song was really big. Father-in-law liked CeeLo‘s pop sound, and decided to research him, discovering that he had some earlier solo records (not Goode mob). This was the album that he bought—imagine his surprise to hear what CeeLo really sounds like. It is so NOT like his pop stuff that he hated it and gave me the album after one listen. It still cracks me up to this day. Props for wanting to explore music he doesn’t know about tho! (…he also did this with Aphex Twin so i have 2 copies of the Richard James album)

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Jun 17 2024
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3

I don’t rate his rapping, and his singing can be borderline harsh.

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Jan 05 2024
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2

That guy at the party who repeatedly tries to get everyone to refer to him as the soul machine, and you can't help but think it's just reflecting a terrible insecurity on the inside. Also made me think about how an album like The Source by Jimmy Scott is not on the 1001 list (I think), while this is. Crazy.

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Feb 25 2022
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2

I was surprised that Cee all Green made this list. Listening to the album has not changed that.

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Nov 03 2021
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2

I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth. That's just me. That's just something that I enjoy. And I like my CeeLo Green with Gnarls Barkley. Here, he sounds like he wants to be the late Biz Markie, Morris Day of The Time, or a poor man's Al Green. Props for realizing his voice gets annoying pretty fast, I guess? Not even Pharrell Williams helping out on a few tracks is enough to disguise this album's flaws.

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Jun 02 2021
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2

For an album declaring in the title that Cee-Lo Green is a soul machine, I wanted more soul! Sometimes Cee Lo's voice works for me, and sometimes it doesn't. He can sing, and he can rap, but sometimes the nasally high pitch isn't used well. Or its growly and yappy (I'm looking at you, "Scrap Metal"). But there were definitely some fun tracks on here. "I'll Be Around" was the first one that jumped out at me - it definitely had that Timbaland sound. What Timbaland sound, you ask!? Why don't you know Timbaland? More like, why do I know Timbaland? Its weird, Timbaland & Magoo's "Welcome to Our World" album has apparently stuck in my mind as a standout late 90's hip-hop album, though I hadn't thought about it in years. As soon as I heard "I'll Be Around" though, I immediately recalled "Clock Strikes," with its sample of the Knight Rider theme song. Seriously. It's amazing. And also "Up Jumps da Boogie" with Missy Elliot! But sorry, back to Cee Lo. "Childz Play" with Ludacris is fun, and the soul finally appears on "All Day Love Affair." Those, along with "Die Trying," are the best tracks, but overall this anointing of the soul machine would have benefitted from more soul. Also, I find it troubling that his name is hyphenated in the album title, but not anywhere else...

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Jul 28 2024
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1

"Fuck You", indeed, Mr Green. Let's get this flaccid bag of homophobic misogyny out of the 1001 please. He sucked 20 years ago and he sucks now.

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Oct 27 2022
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1

You really don't need to listen to this before you die. Why is this on the list? It's over an hour of either irritating or just bland music. Vocals get annoying very quickly. Cee Lo does not suit hip hop, so why not include his next album, the shorter, better one, the poppier one, the one with the big hits? Now I'm embarrassed of showing my Cee Lo Green discography knowledge. 26/10/22

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Feb 06 2022
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1

Pretty boring and think calling himself a soul machine is a bit of false advertising.

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Nov 20 2024
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5

Hot damn this was a fun ride. Cee Lo has such a unique and captivating style, and, man, the beats. Pharrell Williams and Timbaland involved? Lights out. Add Ludacris into the mix and you get a 5 from me.

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Oct 24 2024
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5

I like it! Hip Hop and funk. 5/5

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Sep 27 2024
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5

I like Cee-Lo Green, pretty much any member of the Dungeon Family is pre-approved in my book. Something is telling me 4/5 instead of 5/5, but I am feeling positive I'll give it the 5!

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Aug 19 2024
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5

buenisimo, so funky so moving. 9/10

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Jul 18 2024
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5

Awesome album with lots of fun tracks and featured guests.

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Jun 13 2024
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5

This is an amazing album that does so much awesome stuff. My favourite new album so far on this journey!

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Mar 13 2024
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5

10/10 el negrito con temazos míticos.

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Feb 14 2024
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5

Wow CeeLo is a crazy good lyricist. Enjoyed this one a lot

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Jan 25 2024
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5

Excellent album, listened to it many times when it came out. He is an excellent singer.

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Jan 25 2024
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5

Holy crap! “Soul Machine” just grabs you from the start. This album is just groove start to finish. I love the relaxed party vibe.

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Dec 08 2023
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5

Nach holprigen Start unerwartet gut

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Oct 11 2023
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5

phenomenal... been liberally using my 5 star rating but i think this one truly deserves it

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Jan 05 2023
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5

Excelent album, nothing bored, cee-lo its a great artist, this album inspired me to listen more rap/hip-hop

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Nov 09 2022
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5

always knew ceelo was talented, but never listened to a lot of his albums. this album was surprisingly good. respect++;

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Sep 16 2022
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5

I throughly enjoyed this project. It had a nice blend of rap, R&B, soul, and funk. I’m used to hearing cee lo sing but not rap as much and he’s pretty good at it. The features were also very nice. I downloaded and would listen again.

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Sep 16 2022
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5

Excellent. This is the first album we heard since Thriller (and one of the only in this whole process) that was pure fun to listen to. While I have respect for lots of grandiose music, there is also a time and a place for music that is just a lot of fun. There are several bangers on here (the songs with Timbaland, Ludacris, and T.I. in particular) and the fusion of upbeat R&B with hip-hop was really great. Cee-Lo was singing and rapping a decade before Drake made it mainstream and is a legitimately good singer (Sorry Aubrey). I never heard this before but will be listening again.

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Jun 03 2022
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5

Ce gars-là m'a éclaté la gueule, désolé pour le langage.

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Mar 25 2022
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5

This album is just wonderful. One of my favorite hip-hop records. 14 of the 16 music tracks are top-shelf, with a brief lull in tracks 15 and 16. That's mighty impressive. Lo is a true artist, and when he's not leading a banger about getting high, he's reciting raw and introspective poetry over an easy beat. If you're too invested in either mode, the other may put you off, especially since the album sets an upbeat expectation by being so front-loaded with party music. Still, Cee-Lo Green can do it all and this is his best record among an impressive catalog.

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Sep 23 2021
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5

Nothing special, but good hip-hop album, there are some references to funckadelic and others, that's nice. Really easy to listen, I have liked several songs, so I guess it deserves 5 start by me

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Dec 08 2024
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4

Fun and funny. A great party record.

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Nov 08 2024
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4

i liked this album. Was a really good surprise

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Nov 04 2024
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4

Ooh, ya des belles affaires qui ce passe quand le Soul rencontre le Hip-hop

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Nov 01 2024
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4

I didn't expect to like tgis album as mush as I do. It's a bit long though. Rounded up

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Nov 01 2024
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4

I'm not sure why I love this guy, but I do. Goodie Mob, Cee-Lo, Gnarls Barkley - whatever he wants to call himself, he's a force. His shit is so well-produced. And it's fun.

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Oct 09 2024
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4

CeeLo is an asshole, but this is a fun album. He’s got a good unique voice and there’s skilled rapping all over this. The album is a bit too long, though. It would be 5 stars if it didn’t overstay its welcome.

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Oct 07 2024
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4

Overall I m enjoyed this album. I like how the album starts off with Soul Machine line “He’s been given the power to take you where you want to go so start him up and tell him where you want” then proceeds to have a large variety of different soul based songs throughout the album. Only a few songs from the track that I didn’t like where I felt like the vocals clashed hard with the music and sounded like nails on a chalk board. Otherwise very solid album. Not necessarily an album I have a strong desire to return to but glad I experience it once.

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Sep 12 2024
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4

A lot better than expected. Soul but with a normal voice.

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Aug 29 2024
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4

This grew on me. Fun beats, not too intimidating rap/funk

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Aug 08 2024
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4

Never heard of that band before, really souly and relaxing

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Jul 12 2024
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4

CeeLo Green Is the Soul Machine is a pleasantly surprising blend of hip-hop, soul, and funk. CeeLo’s powerful vocals shine throughout the album, showcasing his impressive range and emotive delivery. The production is rich and varied, offering a contemporary twist on classic sounds. One of the standout aspects is the clever nods to other artists, including tributes to Steely Dan, Musical Youth, and Oasis. These references add a layer of nostalgia and depth, enriching the listening experience. Tracks like I'll Be Around and Closet Freak demonstrate CeeLo's ability to blend modern beats with vintage soul influences. The album flows seamlessly from one track to the next, maintaining a cohesive yet diverse sound. Each song brings its own unique flavour while contributing to the overall vibe of the record. CeeLo’s lyrical prowess is evident, with witty wordplay and insightful commentary woven throughout. CeeLo Green Is the Soul Machine stands out as a creative and engaging project that successfully bridges the gap between old-school soul and modern hip-hop. The album's infectious energy and memorable hooks make it a standout in CeeLo’s discography. Overall, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable listen that honours musical heritage while forging its own path. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 6 STAND OUT TRACK - All Day Love Affair

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Jul 12 2024
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4

Must... Seperate the art from the artist...

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Jul 10 2024
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4

not usually a hip hop person but I liked this one.

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Jul 04 2024
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4

I didn't know just how much I loved Cee Lo's voice. Singing. Rapping. Just speaking. I seemed to sing along with half the songs and I had never heard any of 'em. The guy makes great sounding music.

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Jul 03 2024
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4

As someone who has enjoyed my fair share of Gnarls Barkley since they debuted (but hasn't had a lot of exposure to Goodie Mob), I was looking forward to listening to this album - the first full LP of Cee Lo's work I have digested. "The Art of Noise" and "I'll Be Around" are absolute bops - with the former enhanced by Neptunes production, which Cee Lo provides some fantastic vocal melodies across. Cee Lo brings the absolute rap GOODS on tracks like "Childz Play" featuring one of my favorite rappers and lyricists, Ludacris. As a complete body of work, "Soul Machine" feels overly long at more than an hour--and has a couple of moments where the experimental aspect distracts from the gems scattered throughout. Ultimately, though, this is a strong album that I really enjoyed. And it definitely shows the full range of how talented Cee Lo is. 4/5 stars: I am struck by this album. Interesting Factoids from Wikipedia: *N/A (no deets other than the track listing here and the fact the album was included on the 1001 Albums list) Standout Tracks: The Art of Noise (feat. Pharrell), Living Again, I'll Be Around (feat. Timbaland) - Club Mix, My Kind of People (feat. Jazze Pha & Menta Malone), Childz Play (feat. Ludacris), All Day Love Affair, Sometimes

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Jun 21 2024
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4

Neo soul, me gusta. Dura una hora, la mayoría de pistas son buenas, tiene coros, percusiones, toques de hip hop, vientos, buena producción en general.

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Jun 14 2024
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4

I'm definitely going back to this one in the future 4/5

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Jun 10 2024
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4

This album is damn near a perfect blend. The mix of hip hop, soul, rhythm, and beats is perfect. Everything in this record is working together in perfect harmony. Each track flows together effortlessly. Nor does the use of modern technology overshadow any of the grooves. Sounds both old and new.

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Jun 06 2024
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4

pretty good no cap, strong start at least prob a 4 tbh pleasant surprise

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May 18 2024
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4

þetta er reyndar mjög skemmtilegt. kom á óvart. suðurríkja sálarskotið rapp.

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May 15 2024
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4

Kind of blown away by some of the stuff on here. Very of its time, in a fresh way.

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May 15 2024
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4

funky as hell. Definitely a super unique artist. After a full album, I'm ready to be done with Cee-Lo for a bit but I do love his style.

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Apr 24 2024
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4

First half of the album straight five stars, then it drops

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Apr 03 2024
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4

Full of creativity and passion, untamed and vicious

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Mar 27 2024
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4

It's pretty darn groovy Ceelo is not the rapper he claims to be but the soul machine does not stop regardless

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Mar 17 2024
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4

Dude has an EGO! That being said alot of the music on this album slaps. I had fun listening to much of it, but at over an hour long, and with a couple of clunkers (Sometimes… you need to take a song out. Like Sometimes), this album could have used some editing for sure. Cee-Lo seems to think fitting in as many words as possible into a breath is a skill to be proud of. Again, editing would have helped. But there is enough funk on this album for me to enjoy it more than not. I know how to hit the skip button on the two-three tracks that drag it down.

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Mar 11 2024
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4

Didn't listen to the full album. It was good. Not for me though.

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Feb 15 2024
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4

Clever lyrics, crisply and quickly delivered, great singing voice and melodies.

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Feb 09 2024
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4

Surprisingly good. Only experience of Cee-Lo was his pop song “fuck you” but he’s got a lot of variation in the album, good beats

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Jan 29 2024
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4

If you've always been quick to dismiss Green as the guy who did "Crazy" (a solid track for sure) and just moved on, this album will force you to pay more attention. I don't really pay attention to Twitter controversies, so all the early 2010's stuff Cee-Lo got involved in never really crossed my radar, and to be honest I don't really care. I won't let that affect how I feel about this record. This album on its own is pretty astonishing. You've got incredibly well produced beats with bars upon bars that blend so well with Cee-Lo's unique vocals. The features here are great, especially Ludacris on Childz Play. If anything, I'd say the runtime can be a detriment. Some tracks don't quite feel like they belong. Also that album cover. Big oof.

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Jan 29 2024
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4

The Soul Machine showcases his vocal versatility and flow flexibility in this stellar sonic snapshot of early 00s hip hop.

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Dec 28 2023
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4

magnifica la seleccion de beats un poco largo para mi gusto

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Dec 22 2023
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4

This was a good album. Fun, and unique. It’s way, way different than his work in Gnarls Barkley. I was close to giving this album 4 stars, but it’s LOOOONG, clicking in at over an hour, and the last third of the album wasn’t as compelling. I wish I could officially give it a 3.5.

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Dec 17 2023
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4

Love Cee-Lo. Great voice and tunes.

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Dec 07 2023
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4

Yeah this guy is good, but his voice is hit or miss for me. The album is pretty great though. It’s got a great vibe to it, cool features, good instrumentation! Will check out more. 8 out of 10

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Nov 25 2023
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4

I adored F*** You when that song was released (I believe that was the album that followed today’s). It frustrated me that the radio version, and therefore the one people seemed to know most, was Forget You. It doesn’t make sense! Anyway, let’s listen to today. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: I’ll Be Around, Scrap Metal For some reason, I completely forgot that Cee Lo rapped. I thought he was primarily a soul singer. Both his singing and rapping are so pleasant on this album, but I think the best for me is the instrumentation itself. It’s such a nice soulful sound, which goes so very well with the blend into hip hop. I will say that I preferred The Lady Killer (the one with F*** You), but this was still good fun.

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Nov 17 2023
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4

Solid neosoul album. Very much sounds like the times that it was released

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Nov 03 2023
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4

Приятный соул альбом, пару треков отправились в мой плейлист с классными битками, пару треков - в favorites Коллабы с хип хоп ребятами, приятный качающий вайб. Единственно странное - пространные мелодекламации в паре треков. Ну, это противоречиво.

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Oct 31 2023
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4

BIen aimé, connais de nom et aussi Gnarls Barkley, mais cet album est très soulfull avec de bon passage rap. J'ai très apprécié l'écoute même si le gars semble être un peu désilussioné c'Est dernière année 4

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Oct 30 2023
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4

Enjoyed this more than i thought i would

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