Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

So. Damn. Fun. Fuck CeeLo though.

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?

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

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

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)

meh

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

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.

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

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.

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...

"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.

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

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

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.

Love this album. Fight me.

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

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!

Great album

Nice

buenisimo, so funky so moving. 9/10

9/10

Awesome album with lots of fun tracks and featured guests.

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

10/10 el negrito con temazos míticos.

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

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

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

Nach holprigen Start unerwartet gut

Amazing Album

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

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

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

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.

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.

meh

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

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.

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

Amé

damn this was good asf

Loved it!

i liked this album. Was a really good surprise

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

3.75

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

Never heard of that band before, really souly and relaxing

Tasty!

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Liked it a lot

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

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

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.

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

Full of creativity and passion, untamed and vicious

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

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.

Great voice good beats

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

Surprisingly solid rnb album

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

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

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.

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

This is good music.

magnifica la seleccion de beats un poco largo para mi gusto

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.

Love Cee-Lo. Great voice and tunes.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Enjoyed this more than i thought i would

Well this one was quite the journey. It was definitely my ignorance but having never willingly chosen to listen to him, I really didn't expect Cee-Lo Green to be on this list. But after removing him from just the one hit wonder of Fuck You, I started to notice that this album featured Pharrell (twice!), Timbaland, Ludacris, TI, and is a hip hop album from 2004, which should be my dream find And in many respects, it was! I can't help but think that if I knew of it at the time, I would have loved it. Definitely not the strongest ever but enough to go toe to toe on some songs with the best. Also genuinely had range (although I'd be lying if I said I didn't lean towards preferring the songs where he let the phenomenal beats take the stage) His lyrics are very of their time (all front and self professed goat brags) but he definitely had some great wordplay at times. Flow was pretty good! Features I genuinely cannot believe the calibre of - phenomenal. Beats are up there with some of the best. However you just can't not compare this to dropping the same year as the college dropout, can you? Obviously most of my life I've been a Kanye stan but I think it's pretty fair to say that the bar was well and truly raised before Cee-Lo could go for the Grammy. Highlights - I ended up (begrudgingly at times) liking 15 out of the 18 songs, but some standouts were Soul Machine, I'll Be Around, Sometimes, and Die Trying Honestly I'd recommend checking this out!

How could I possibly, be inconspicuous When my flow is fuckin ridiculous? "That's quite an accent"—See, I'm from the South But some of the most beautiful things come out my mouth And I'm on stage just as soon as I come out the house So I might as well give them something to talk about I bust a rap to make a blind man believe in the boogie And if you came here to move with Cee, then boogie on 4/5

3.5