Reviews (page 6 of 7)
I expected this to be better :(
Couldn't tell if this was a hip-hop, pop, soul or funk album. Didn't get into it at all
The opening skit with his weird kid didn’t give me high hopes for this album. It actually wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, there were some decent beats and clever lyrics. This album is another example of less is more, especially when your voice is uh Cee-Lo’s voice. It’s fine for a couple tracks but an hour of it is way too much for me, far too pitchy for the soulful sound he was looking for. I don’t know man, not for me. Also, terrible cover art. Is that supposed to be Biggie in his glasses? 2 stars
Gear: Moondrop Variations Artwork: 😎🪞🌥️ Production: 😐🙂👌 Music: 🎤✨🙄 Rating: 🐼(🐼)/5
Really long and pretty boring. Fun track names though.
Didn't really hold my attention. His voice is great but over the length of the album it gets tiring, and the songs didn't really do anything for me. Some of the production is really nice though, but just as much of it sounds dated. Fave song: The art of noise Least fave song: childz play Would I listen again: doubt it
Ok. Rap heavy for me
Wanted this to be better than it was. The amount of talent associated with this album is crazy, but the album is rather mediocre. No great singles, and nothing really dynamic going on. 2/5 Won’t listen again
I found myself bored and underwhelmed by this album, though I fully admit at some point my attention wandered. I didn't hear much creativity, and the lyrics were lackluster. However, a song at the end of the album gave me pause because it showed CeeLo Green's potential. "Die Trying" had a great groove, amazing lyrics and harmonies--and it wasn't even a single. Really, this was only CeeLo's second album--"Fuck You" is released six years later! Greatness was yet to come. To be fair, his voice is the saving grace here. His vocals contain such a soulful quality. And I noticed some electronic sounds snuck into this album, too.
Cee Lo has such a fascinating voice, and on an album that feels very mid overall, that very voice is the standout. Once again, I feel like the inclusion here is more about music history than music quality. This neo-soul sound was not particularly pervasive during this early 2000s period. Compared to the music of the time, this is a bit of a unique standout. That said, a more developed and "must listen" feature from Cee Lo, in my opinion, would be his follow-up album, "The Lady Killer"; that album was his actual breakthrough and more of a must-listen. I don't think this album is bad, but it wasn't great either; I really started to lose interest as the album went on. I wouldn't consider it a must-listen. 2.5 stars.
Maybe if CeeLo had been able to maintain the reputation he had in the mid-late 00s, this list placement would make sense. But dude’s a rapist and his rep plummeted appropriately. Listening to it now, I don’t know why anyone would choose this over OutKast, Andre 3000, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Big Boi, Killer Mike, you know, the keystones of Southern soulful hip-hop.
In which Cee-Lo tries to make OutKast’s Andre 3000-led project …The Love Below - by which I mean it’s a genre-hopping scattershot pop and soul adjacent album by a musician with his roots in the southern rap game. Where Andre’s effort is experimental, boundary-pushing and full of charm, Cee-Lo’s has moments of greatness peppered with poor pastiches and homages, cringy lyrics, and missed shots that aren’t really bold enough to give credit for. Soul Food by Goodie Mob or St Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley would be much more fitting Cee-Lo inclusions - though leaving him off the list entirely wouldn’t be a terrible idea either
This provided virtually zero benefit to my life.
Dunno about this, sometimes he has quite good flow, but there's just something missing. Is his claim that he is the soul machine ironic, as don't think there was much soul here. The stuff he did with danger mouse was good, don't think this was anywhere close though 2.5 probably
Never realized how awful and annoying his voice is
CeeLo Green...Is The Soul Machine. Then why no soul CeeLo? There's the occasional soul beat or hint of soul but nothing that could be classed as out and out soul. I think maybe All Day Love Affair comes the closest? It's kinda fun in parts but the only other song I really liked was Childz Play and that's 'cause I like Ludacris. This is like so many R&B rap albums of the time but not one of the better ones. There's no doubt he has a a voice for soul but he just doesn't use it for that genre on this album and he's not really a rapper either. Also, how and why is this album 1hr 5 mins long?!
Yeah, I’m not loving this. He not got a very pleasant tone, has he? Flow’s alright, lyrical content is reasonably positive. I find the production pretty bland, and none of the hooks are hooking me. Feels like a long hour.
meh
I don think Cee Lo had come into his one just yet. Didn’t hate it, but nothing stood out either.
I might appreciate this more in the future, but for the moment I'm likely to forget you
I felt like there was too much going on production wise.
Souled hiphop, føles sgu ret outdated
Honestly I feel like I'm being generous because some of this album was very cringe, did not age well. The stand out track is the timbaland feature.
Cee-Lo Green saying words for 65 minutes. What a professional word sayer. I know he wishes he was Stevie Wonder, but sorry man, you can't be "The Soul Machine" when your voice sounds like A Pimp Named Slickback. Alright, final 10 albums. Time for the most anticlimactic finale of all time.
This album was comically bad haha. From unimpressive lyrics to straight up mumbling. The only thing that redeemed this album was the hilarious beats, so bad it was good. Felt like I was in a circus for a while there lol
Initially thought it was pretty bad, then it kind of got stuck in my head. Still don’t think it’s very good, but it has a few moments. Mostly it’s just a Stevie Wonder/Funkadelic rip off. Not sure anybody going to care about Cee Lo Green 30 years from now.
I'm not sure if it's his voice or someone who was on the album with him but after a while, I couldn't stand it anymore! Overall it was better than I expected, however, it's not something I would listen to again.
The soul machine lacks soul. I'll be around slaps tho
Nah, I wasn't feeling it at all. I love soul but didnt dig this
Ignoring Cee Lo Green's issues and just addressing the music....Every time I listen to his music I get the same reaction "oh yeah......he's really talented......this is dynamic and interesting" and then I immediately forget it all. It's weirdly forgettable. There's a lot of breadth but none of it seems all that unique. It's almost really good and almost interesting. Production is great, but there really isn't much to dig into here. Most of my enjoyment came from realizing how similar he sounds to Colonel Stinkmeaner here. This feels harsh but 2/5.
Feels like a filler album to get to 1001. No place on this list.
this album has many pleasing, soulful, comfy production choices and arrangements, largely thanks to the features - it sometimes feels like the entirety of southern rap is here - and overall the genre-mashing is successful. but lyrically this album is such ego-stroking dumb dogshit. trying to pass off as a good-times hard-guy record, barely disguising a deep insecurity. calling himself the soul machine like a goddamn comic book character. stupid.
It had some songs that stood out, but not enough. I guess his work with Gnarls Barkley is a bit better. This is not bad by any means but it's not that good either
I've heard better soul, rap pop or whatever this is. There are some nice, smooth beats at times but it's just not very interesting or worth the time listening to.
Not my jam
Sustainably made using the offcuts of an Outkast album. The Soul Machine is straightforward Virginia Beach hip hop from its heyday: tight clever pop production, that incorporates some disco & techno elements, lots of samples and allusions to 70s soul and funk, dynamic and upbeat beats, call and response choruses with a choir, quick wordy rap verses and big catchy hooks. Better than I expected from what I thought was the Gnarls Barkley one-hit wonder's side project, but it does just sound like filler from the bigger & better albums these producers made at the same time, so it's familiar and accessible, but not especially compelling on its own terms. 73 minutes? fuck off.
Extremely average. Maybe less so.
This album has one song that was a hit when it came out, and was short lived, much like his career being mainstream. This album has more interesting songs with guest stars, but they have better songs on their own albums.
Hip hop. I didn’t really like this album. The beats were plain, the vocals weren’t great, a lot of the time it was hard to understand. I will give the lyrics some credit, they were pretty clever throughout and flowed well but overall just ok.
This is #day68 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it brings me back to 2004, a particularly golden year in my musical journey. At 14, I was immersed in CDs, tapes, music channels, and radio, discovering new sounds that shaped my tastes. Albums like Encore, Collision Course, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, American Idiot, and others hold a special place in my heart. It was a time of polarizing yet unique music. Now, onto Cee-Lo Green's Is The Soul Machine... I wasn't familiar with him before. Listening to the album, I can hear the Timbaland production style that was popular back then, but unfortunately, it doesn’t stand out to me. This is a 2 out of 5, mostly because of the year it was released and a couple of familiar feature artists. Also, why are those hip-hop records always so obnoxiously long? Looking forward to #day69.
This is pretty standard fin-de-siecle R&B. I wouldn't have picked it out of a lineup, and I don't like it any better than the groups doing the same kind of thing in the late 90s. Cee-Lo has a nice voice, quite distinctive, but he doesn't really open up and let rip like on some of his later hits. I was surprised to see that one of these songs, "I'll Be Around", has been played something like 100x as often as the next-most-played song. To my mind that one kind of sucked. I must be missing something that true Cee-Lo fans are picking up on. The best songs in my opinion are the two with Pharrell, "When We Were Friends" and "All Day Love Affair", which both put the most emphasis on Cee-Lo's singing and give him the most space to work. I didn't like any of the ones with a guest rapper, they're just not what I'm here for, and I don't think they play to his strength. This could've been a decent 25-minute soul EP, instead it's weak a 1+ hour hip-hop CD.
I originally was going to take what was to be a ‘short break’ from this project to just sort out my head etc… but then months and months go by and I end up returning to this project because I desperately don’t want to listen to this album. You kinda just get accustomed to the music by the end of it at the start it sounded like a 1/5 but as it went on I think it’s just climbed up to a 2/5. But seriously I don’t recommend this to anyone.
[record scratch] Narrator: Turns out, he isn’t Okay so it’s not that bad, there’s some good stuff on this but it leaps here and there and in and out of mediocrity. A middling 2.5 stars.
not my kinda music, but the intro into the album is Very Great.
Pretty bad. The whole album is corny, lyrically and musically, but is interspersed with these jarring moments where Cee-Lo seems to be cosplaying as to what he thinks a hard man is. It's hard not to be perplexed when listening to a song which could be from a Lin-Manuel Miranda soundtrack, while Cee-Lo threatens to shoot his enemy's unborn child and it's mother. You can hear his attempts to imitate Andre 3000 all over this record. And, it goes without saying, he's not him. That said, he's a good vocalist, and some of the more experimental tracks are interesting, and even enjoyable. But they're hidden amongst total guff. Highlights: I am Selling Soul Let's Stay Together
It's fine I guess? He's a much better soul singer than he is a rapper, a craft at which he is wholly unconvincing. I just can't see how this is a must listen.
A line from one of the songs: "Sometimes I don't think people know I'm as good as I really am". My response: "Nah. You just think you are better than you really are". The last few tracks are actually pretty good, but the first 12 tracks make me wonder why this album is on this list.
Eh, not that great. Lyrics leave much to be desired.
I rate CeeLo. He’s charismatic, likeable and has a great voice. But I think the music on this album often lacks the personality he himself brings; with a couple of exceptions, it’s pretty generic stuff. Maybe that Gnarls Barkley album would’ve been a more worthy entry?
I have no idea why I was supposed to listen to this before i die. This was extremely bland and mediocre. He made better music before and after this album. Fail.
I wasn’t really looking forward to this album going into it, but it actually surprised me at first. It had some pretty catchy hooks and a smooth, laidback vibe. But as time went on, the charm started to wear off, and the album began to feel a bit repetitive. Then I realized it was over an hour long, which just added to the struggle of getting through it.
You can hear the short man syndrome come right through your speakers. Some good features and alright tracks, but not a great hip hop album.
Overall, this fell flat for me. It’s clear that CeeLo Green is very talented - but it seemed like some of his talent was drowned out by attempts to make club hits pop off in each track. Really enjoyed my kind of people
hm
Great in parts. Felt a bit pushed
Too long, too samey. It just gets a bit boring CeeLo also has a voice like a cartoon character, which is interesting for one song but grating after more than 10 minutes or so
I thought this album was super dated
Not good, not terrible
This album is okay, but not much more than that. Disappointingly, it seems that Cee-Lo Green's best songs are hardly even his, being collaborations and/or written by other artists.
Ehh, a but boring and it’s too long.
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine but he's not particularly good. This is a massively over-produced album that seems desperate to hide the main attraction's voice or skill or personalisation, which is an interesting way to go about things (they hide his voice because it's really annoying). All in together it creates something that is at least listenable, but not especially enjoyable, and there's no soul in it. 2.
Underwhelming, doesn't feel like a soul album at all, and is mega self-indulgent to a level that he really doesn't deserve given he hadn't had either of his two hits at the point of making this album. Really struggling to find much more to say about this album. It happened, it's budget hip hop that isn't particularly cutting, has way too much going on, it's just a bit dull. 2/5.
I have stated this before, but it never seems like a good sign when both the description on the 1001 Albums Generator and the album's Wikipedia page have one sentence about that album. It's hard for me to find an album essential if the world as a whole doesn't have much to say about it. I have something to say about this. It does not need to be 65 minutes long. Cee Lo rapping is not something that was aware he did. This isn't a special album and there is no need to hear this.
Some fun ideas, but not great. Feels like he's just trying to be cool. I just don't enjoy his flow.
Imagine if a chipmunk inhaled a whole load of helium and then started to sing/rap about "guns and hoes". That's basically what this album is. If this had been a straight up comedy album, then it might have actually worked. However, I have the horrible suspicion that this was done as a serious piece of work, in which case it's a bad joke.
Meh.
“Forget” this.
it's maybe a 2.5, i don't really like his voice
When Cee-Lo was writing these songs did not have people like me in mind. His formula works but it’s so repetitive that tires me :( it’s like ketchup. Might be nice - but just a little on your fries. If you keep pushing it, it sickens you.
Soul! Ugh! Not sure how it gets labeled such. It's more rap/hip-hop occasionally sampling some soul sounds. And it's all pretty awful.
fun!
I didn't know Cee-Lo Green rapped this much. I was trying not to listen to Hip-Hop right now. Oh well. Some decent songs, but also some terrible ones (Childz Play and Scrap Metal for example), in my opinion.
Gnarls Barkley is some good shit. This is just regular shit.
2/5
Not bad for a date raper.
Ehhhh i dunno not awful by any means, it just didn’t do much for me.
Some decent to good songs, but, by the end, I just wanted it to end.
Just ok, bordering on cheesy. Definitely not a Soul Machine, more like one of those boxes on sleazy old motel beds that take quarters.
Difficulty listen to this one
There are parts of this album that I might give 3+ stars but the rest lowers it to 2 stars or D+ for me.
Mediocre.
Started off strong but really was over it by the latter half of the album. Doesn’t help I can’t understand a word of Cee Lo Green’s lyrics, so I was mostly enjoying the samples/beats which seemed to get less innovative as the album went on. Started as a 3 but devolved into a 2.
didnt care about this at all
A forgettable album by a bad person. 2/5
Some good things going on musically and good production too, but most importantly good thing it's over because even those qualities couldn't redeem an irritating experience for my ears.
Mid
Early 2000s hip-hop album with some good tunes, but it couldn't really grab my attention. I'm not really into hip-hop so I don't know how important this album is from that period, I mostly liked classic/old hip-hop from what I've listened so far.
Hmm… props to his voice, the produktion and all the collaborations. But it’s not at all my favourite style of music.
This is offensively shit and should not be included on this is. The best tracks are where cee lo takes a back seat and the guest does the heavy lifting
meh. perchè non mettere il suo album con i Gnarls Barkley che è nettamente più interessante? e in ogni caso, è stato accusato di aver drogato e stuprato diverse donne, quindi vaffanculo. eccoti due stelle al posto di tre per punizione.
Meh
Oh jeez. I'm 3 songs into this am I'm really hating it. I just do not like CeeLo Green's voice, tone, or style. I don't like how full of himself he is. The production is pretty boring. I really can't believe this record made the list.
Cee-Lo Green...Is the Soul Machine by Cee-Lo Green. More like NO Machine! Is Cee-Lo a soul machine? NO Is this even Soul music? NO Is this worth listening to? NO Is this "The One"? NO Is this a "must hear album before you die? Definitely NO NO ...But, you can "Die Trying"
what is this?
Some good tracks with impressive singing and production, but the sound is all over the place and too many misses on this.
A decent rapper, a decent singer and so Cee Lo skates between the two on this, his second album. So, decent, then, but no more than that and, if I put my mind to it, I suspect I could think of 100 hip hop albums worthier of a place on this list than this. Never the main act but a great support - think Cee Lo's stand out verse on Outkast's Git Up, Git Out (every one of Outkast's albums - better than this) or his soul singing on the superb Held Down by De La Soul (every one of De La Soul's albums - better than this) or his guest appearances on Common's Electric Circus (every one of Common's albums - better than this). So, what, that's gotta be about 20 albums covered, less the ones already chosen for the list. 80 more to go? Easy.
To be completely 100% honest, I don't like Cee-Lo's voice. His lyrics and flow are amazing, but his physical voice lowkey gets annoying. This album is an elementary hip-hop album, I'm not saying it's that awful though. "Childz Play" is probably my favorite, with its super swingy triplet feel, IDK it's just groovy. However, with the nature of the genre, the songs get pretty repetitive.
Not for me - a bit uninspiring
The production here is really good. A lot of sounds, a lot of layers and parts and stuff. This sounds like pandering. I don't know what year this came out, 2004? It sounds like a mish mash of popular things thrown together. There's a lot of voices on here. The one I hear once in a while that I assume is Cee-Low Green, I don't really care for the sound of his voice. There's some Soul singing and rapping. It's all over the place but cohesive. This album feels really long and the more it goes on the less I like it.
Rollazo soberano. Hip-hop.
This album doesn’t matter at all. His weird helium voice gets super annoying.
My favorite part was the "Give Up the Funk" reference. Looks like this album was removed in the 2021 edition of the book.
It's possible to enjoy it for 20 minutes, but then it becomes a very annoying cover of itself, for I don't know how many more hours. "Scrap Metal" is the only highlight I can think of without too many complaints.
Bog standard
I enjoyed Gnarls Barkley era Cee-Lo so went into this with an open mind. After about 30 minutes I found myself wanting to turn it off. The voice is undoubtedly a strong soul voice but it grates after a while, the rapping is terrible and there ar no memorable songs and nothing that marks it out as an album worthy of this list. On completion I was left with a sense of anger that this had made the list as it was below mediocre on every level.
it was fine, a little rough around the edges. prefer the newer stuff.
Not as bad as feared, but still mystifying why it's on this list. It doesn't even have "Fuck You"!
A bit long, his voice starts to grate a little, a 2.5
Rollazo soberano. Hip-hop.
Not for me
I wasn’t annoyed for the entire record.
9, 10, 14 Great songs 16 as well. A good album. Nothing to special. But good.
Thoughts before listening: Is "F You" on this? That's a great song. I don't know anything else by Cee-Lo Green (besides his Gnarls Barkley stuff) but he's southern hip hop soul music. I'm sure this will be fun to listen to. Review: It's always interesting the albums on this list that came out in the early 2000s around the release of the book. The editors were having to make a lot of guesses on modern releases that would go on to be classics. There are a lot of 00s era albums on this list that have been completely forgotten in the 20 years since. This is one of them. This doesn't have "F You" which is far and away Cee-Lo's biggest solo hit. What is on here is fun and I'm enjoying listening to it, but I hardly feel that this rises to the status this list should demand. It certainly hasn't proven to have the timeless staying power of the 70s Stevie Wonder albums it's paying homage to. This is a 2-star album.
fun (heavy on the fun) sounds. that’s it
This is just bad (not 1 star bad, but pretty bad), probably why I hadn't heard of Cee Lo before Gnarls Barkley.
not for me
It just sort of reminds me of someone singing in the bathroom, but a nice background track. I'm just not not that into it.
Cee-Lo Green… Is Not As Good As He Would Have You Believe
OK - I don't know why this in particular made the list, it just seems like low effort hip hop. Some hip hop drives me mad with the lyrical delivery. At least on this one he was was trying to sing and I couldn't happily ignore it.
Not a fan.
let's stay together
Meh.
Nothing great here except Pharrell appearances.
Soulful Rap
Album 326 of 1001 Cee Lo Green - Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine Rating : 2.5 / 5 Just not my thing but enjoy it as much or more than some others of the same genre.
Cee-lo is a creep so I wanted to rate this lower but it is a funky, fun album. Do you need to hear it before you die? Absolutely not.
Made for some nice background music. Kinda a weird pick tho but not bad 4.2/10
I knew one song on here. Was quite surprised to see cee-lo as I’m sure we all were. Didn’t absolutely hate it but definitely did not love it.
Another average hip hop album. Too many big blokes around a mic.
This sucked just like when I tried it when it came out. He's not singing, and he's not rapping.
2/5. He really do be the Soul Machine, as in he is very soulful, a unique voice that causes relaxation. He is also a machine in that these songs are so formulaic and repetitive that they just pass one another until the album is finished. There are some good songs that have great flow like Childz Play and I'll Be Around but I kind of lost interest about halfway through, Glockappella took me back for a second but that was it.
Did I really need to listen to over an hour of Cee-lo Green before I died instead of Fuck You repeated a couple times? Probably not but it wasn't totally without positive aspects. Those aspects were somewhat scattered around each track except for Die Trying and the more negative aspects tended to be pretty glaring dated lyrics and production but it wasn't unlistenable; I just didn't want to have to listen to it for a full hour.
Cee Lo has a voice that you love if hate, kinda like Dave Matthew’s. I enjoy it. However the album has a few songs that I rated above average but most of them were ok. Nothing that really blows my hair back.
Sé quien es por ser la mitad de Gnarl Barkleys, pero nunca me preocupé de su carrera en solitario aunque en gran parte me ha parecido más de lo mismo. También se que es un personaje mediático en USA pero sinceramente de ahí a que el disco sea imprescindible va un trecho. Hay muchas colaboraciones de pesos pesados de ese momento: Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Ludacris, ... Me gustó Childz play y I'm selling soul. Parece que tiene otro disco mejor, este no es nada del otro mundo.
For what it's worth, this definitely isn't a soul album. It's closer to soft hip-hop. A couple of the tracks stand out with their warmth and uplifting feel - Livin' Again and All Day Love Affair - but most of the other tracks are not notable, covering hardly any new ground and presenting cliched, overused hip-hop ideas. The beats are reasonably catchy but difficult to get into, partly because of the percussion (which is very simplistic), generally weak vocals throughout, and lyrics that are hard to relate to (and at times hard to hear!). The textures are generally thick and unvaried, again making the music harder to consistently engage with. All Day Love Affair is concrete proof that this artist is much more skilled as a singer than as a rapper. Why he didn't lean into that more is beyond me.
Not a fan of hip hop at all. I liked some of the Gnarls Barkley stuff that Cee-Lo did but I just can't get on board with hip hop. 2 stars because he has an interesting voice but I hate this kind of music.
Not my thing.
Meh
Varies between entertainingly bad and boringly bad. Sounds like it was made by amateurs despite the involvement of big names like Pharrell, Timbaland, and Ludacris.
It was okay but nothing really felt special about it either
I really just wanted to get this over with. Most redeeming quality is some interesting production. Wish it was someone else singing/rapping.
Waarom staat dit in de lijst
For a guy that talks about soul music so much, he doesn't seem to 100% understand what it is. This is a pretty mediocre hip-hop album. Cee-Lo has a distinct voice, but the topics are dull, the beats are same-y, and the album runs way too long.
Meh
I only really know Cee Lo from his hit single “fuck you”. This record came out about 5 years before that single. It’s way more rap focused. Honestly, Cee Lo can’t really rap. The features and production are excellent. I suppose if I heard some of these tracks in a club setting I would appreciate them more.
A decent project with some cool, bouncy production and fun songs here and there. But as talented as he is, I feel Cee-Lo is at his best as a featured artist or a hook guy. His voice just gets a bit grating after over a full hour
Largely forgettable
It’s not offensive, but I’m not a big fan of this. It’s very much a product of it’s time and the instrumentals are super up and down. The Pharrell tracks are probably the highlight of this thing.
I'm sure this is fine, and it had some moments, but it really wasn't for me at all.
Half of these beats sound like something you could make on a free iPad app. The fast raps are pretty whack, like he's dead set on cramming too many words in every line, but it doesn't connect, like the flow is just bad. And dude sounds like a muppet.
Was never a fan of cee-lo tbh, I can't tell you why exactly, but if I had to guess it is probably a mix of his voice and lyrical content. Also, I have a bad track record of enjoying albums that open with a skit..... so we'll have to see. Already starting very heavy handed with those 2000's beats where there is always one VERY standout instrument like a whistle or something similar. The album cover too tho lol This type of music always felt like something you put on in the background at a party instead of actually sitting down and listening to it, which obviously has it's place, but man, it just doesn't feel deserving to be on an all time list.
Proper relic of the early 2000s. Remember liking it at the time (I'll Be Around still goes) but it falls off a cliff towards the end and CeeLo is a massive piece of shit so nah.
No
Not particularly amazing to my ears, but if you like early 00's rap bangers there's actually a couple gems on here (The One, Childz Play, Evening News)
It was better than I thought it would be. But it didn't blow me away.
Hmm ik wilde Cee een verbale draai om de oren geven met 1 ster voor zijn karige plaatje, maar gaandeweg begon het toch diverser en interessanter te worden.
Blegh...
Wat aardige dingetjes hier en daar maar niet leuk genoeg om echt te blijven boeien.
4/10. Oh wow its morbius from the matrix hes my favorite character!
I thought this was extremely dated BEFORE I heard the Blockbuster reference. 4/10
Ça m'a presque coupé l'appétit de la remontada
il veut nous rendre fous
Soul? No, this is over-produced R&B dance pop. It's loud and fast with a dominating yet generic and dull electronic backing. He calls this soul because his voice is almost trying to imitate Al Green if he was on a lot of speed. His cover on here is a disaster. The songs sound ok, at least at the start, but there aren't any standouts, no ear worms like "Fuck You." Dude stopped putting in as much effort after the first quarter, and pretty much gave up by the half way point, with the second half being entirely filler of missed first-thought ideas. It's a huge insult with the hour-long runtime. If it were cut dramatically, and the songs were fleshed out as much as the first few, I'd respect it more. "I'll Be Around" sounds fulfilled and engaging soul-ly due to Timbaland's innovation, who actually knows what he's doing, unlike the half-ass effort of the majority of the million producers he threw on here. You know there's a problem when the other single "The One" is the epitome of 2004 trashy pop music. Favorites: The Art of Noise, I'll be Around, Evening News, When We Were Friends
Average. Couldn't seem to decide on which style he wanted for the album. Not one I'd listen to again.
This album does nothing to push southern hip hop forward in any way. Cee-Lo Green does incorporate a wide variety of influences and genres, but it comes off as mimicry rather than inspiration. For example, he obviously nods to Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ several times, but never in a way that attempts to incorporate it into something new and interesting. It is always derivative. Furthermore, he seems to believe he is the new herald of soul music which is not true, and was certainly not true when this album was released.
Can exclusively reveal who ran off with all the talent from Gnarls Barkley...............its.....................Danger Mouse. This is a pretty mediocre album only livened up by the two Pharell tracks, and its sixteen tracks -plus intro and outro long. Why it's on here I am really not sure.
Man this is goofy af. This guy isn't hard at all. Pretty bland stuff. Also too long. And no soul.
Quality truly is subjective huh
Serieus? Een rappende muppet? In de 1001?
Waar sommigen zich storen aan de stem van Axl Rose of Britse zangers uit de 80s, heb ik dat met Joni Mitchell en Caro Emerald. En ook Cee-Lo Green zit in mijn irritatiezone, hij doet een soort van trucje met zijn zang, waardoor ik hem niet geloof. Het zit ietsje muzikaler in elkaar dan de meeste hiphop, maar uiteindelijk is ook hij alleen maar aan het showen met dure auto's, geld en goedkope wijven. Ik vind het fake overkomen. Bovendien is 75 minuten gewoon echt veel te lang.
Cee-Lo Green is a modern day hip hop/R&B artist, which is fine, but Cee-Lo sounds like an Oompa Loompa with his high ass voice. His only song I'm familiar with isn't on this record, but is called "Fuck You". That song is an earworm, and I spent the whole day today humming the tune to it, and wishing it was on this album. It's kinda funny to listen to someone who sounds like they huffed helium sing about being strapped with Glocks and doing drive by's. I feel like Cee-Lo is trying to be gangsta rap, but he is just too soft. There shouldn't be a connection between self acclaimed soul singers and gangsta rap. Those are two very different spectrums. To be honest, I enjoyed the songs that featured other artists more than any of Cee-Lo's solo stuff on this album. Overall, not bad, but not great. It felt like it was missing something, but I can't put my finger on what that is. This album also overstayed its welcome, coming in at over an hour in length and consisting of 16 songs (plus an intro and an outro). I wouldn't race out to listen to this album again any time soon. I had a hard time getting through it once today. Favourite songs: Scrap Metal, Childz Play, The One, I'll Be Around Least favourite songs: Sometimes, I Am Selling Soul, Let's Stay Together 2/5
It definitely varies in quality on here. Nothing was amazing or anything, moreso the songs ranged from kinda annoying to listenable. There was nothing that I would seek out again. Not the worst two in the world, but a two nonetheless. The length, man... My favourite song was Childz Play.
Dated digital soul. Although it has some fairly bopping beats now and then I don’t think this will have much lasting power. As a rap fan I enjoy clever bragging, but this is just boring braggadocio all the way through.
A little too smooth.
I can appreciate hat Cee-Lo is a very good R&B/soul artist but it's not something that I can get into. Personally, this album did nothing for me, it's filled with that kind of misogynistic/sexist overtones in music that was popular back in the 00s and just kind of rubs me the wrong way. Best: Soul Machine Worst: My Kind Of People
On this list and needs to be listened to because it’s notable 🔄 is notable because it’s on this list to be listened to
This sounds so incredibly dated in such a specific way. I think the mix is pretty good, you can hear the influence of Outkast. But the master sounds like shit! At least on Spotify. Cee Lo is a mediocre lyricist and his flow is also pretty "mid" as the kids say. Gnarles Barkley is a better outfit than any of his solo stuff.
This would be better if a different person sang it because 1) I do not like Cee Lo Green (vocals). 2) I do not like Cee Lo Green (person).
Forget you.
without Danger Mouse, he's just Penfold
I like this guy but this is embarassing. Multiple glitzy collaborations don't work imo. It just creates a fragmented collection.
If he is the soul machine, why the need for so many collaborations? It is the solo stuff that works best where there are some fine songs. The whole album lacks coherence and consistency which may be due to having no single producer.
2.5. I’ve heard worse
Calls himself the soul machine. Puts soul machine in the album name. Not a soul album. Not that great of an R&B album either
Only one song was available. It was okay.
CeeLo is kind of up his own ass. Makes sense for the crazy shit he got up to later. I AM THE MUSIC.
2 stars. He is no soul machine.
Couldn't get into this really.
This recommendation from Cee-Lo started off at a deficit. Even after ignoring what I've seen of Cee-Lo as a person, the bragging and approach towards women keeps this album down in my ratings. Cee-Lo has some infectious beats, but the more I have to listen to the content of the lyrics the further down my ratings go. If there had been nonsense lyrics over the music, Cee-Lo could have gotten perhaps even four stars. I don't want to come back to this album and have to process the content all over again. I'm sure I would only find more to dislike.
cee-lo is a great vocalist, but that’s the only thing that really stands out here. i found myself bored, which is very bad for a soul album.
Two reviews here. Kate Bush (5) + cee-lo (2). 1st: Cee-Lo to get it out of the way. way too self indulgent self referential onanistic crap. funky in parts... But ultimately annoyingin large doses. 2nd 5 stars for Kate Bush The Sensual world.(I PRESSED Didn't LISTEN BY ACCIDENT) There are almost no female voices in this list of 1001. And there is so much shitty garage experimentation, and not enough masterwork. Those are my two criticisms of the list..... Back to this album.. side b. that's where the magic of this album is for me. Either way, Kate, it's been a while... I had you on cassette. Nice to hear your mad genius and kaleidoscopic arabesque on a hifi instead a plastic 80s Stereo. there is something wonderful and very Gemeinde about it.... Although shrill at times and hard to take on LARGE doses, here we have something completely different richly executed. Art. I can't go without mentioning the very suggestive flower on the cover... This has nothing to do with the photo shoots she did for the album.... in case the title didn't give it away, clearly marketed as boudoir music... But when you enter, there is a lot more to handle. The prescience of "deeper understanding" and the impact of computers and consumerism and loneliness in our world. Not easy to listen to. But brilliant and demanding. With flowers
OK, but I don’t know why it’s on the list.
I have the follow-up album he did 6 years after this - The Lady Killer - and I love it, but this leaves me a bit cold. I couldn’t find a stand-out track here. I love Pharrell, but his involvement doesn’t help. There’s a Funkadelic reference in Glockapella that I enjoyed. A bit samey & uninspiring for me.
Yeah I found this pretty dull. Cee-Lo Green definitely has his moments for me but none of them were on this album. Incredibly mediocre.
Rollazo soberano. Hip-hop
This ain’t it
Sounds from where it's from, no real standout
I globally like the vibe of Cee Lo, but this one is way to long...
I can see the attraction but it's not for me - I wouldn't turn it off though.
Thought I would like this more than I did. One and done.
Not bad but also not extraordinary good
Very generic album, surprised it managed to make it into this list. It's also not in any way soul.
Fun! Kinda long and repetitive but I liked it more than I thought I would. Chill.
I don't like CeeLo's voice.
Shite rapper, good singer.
2.5/5. Some parts of this were good, but it feels pretty dated. I think this album does not need to be an hour long, 40 minutes would have been good.
I liked it more than anticipated — but unlikely to return. 2.75/5
Bland neo-soul. You'd probably hear this when trying clothes on in Gap. Best Tracks: The Art of Noise (feat. Pharrell); I'll Be Around (feat. Timbaland); My Kind of People (feat. Jazze Pha & Menta Malone)
Not really feeling this one. Well produced, but not a fan of Cee-Lo's voice to be honest. 2/5
I like Cee-Lo, but I had trouble getting into this. Maybe another time. Getting so much rap in the first 100 of these albums that I’m getting pretty tired of it.
I wanted to like this more than I did. There's an aggressiveness here that's attractive and that one doesn't generally find in neo-soul. But it's kind of ruined by Cee Lo trying really hard to come off hard. Unfortunately, he just comes off hella fake. And, while he's an accomplished vocalist, his weird, wailing falsetto starts to grate on the nerves after only a few songs. Like I said, I wanted to like this more than I did. But I just can't give it a passing score. It's too often annoying and I wanted it to be over long before it was.
Not really for me
Ego green. Why the screech voice?
Viel niet bij mij in de smaak.
2004 certainly had some music
I kind of came into consciousness around this time, and I vaguely remember seeing this artwork. I also remember this was the time when albums were *packed*. I'm not sure if it was an effort to pack them so they had a better shot at a hit, but man, this thing could easily be cut in half and be a much, much better record. There's so much stuff on here that just... doesn't need to be. The first few tracks are good. The production is good. But man, is this thing bloated. Favorite tracks: "The Art of Noise", "Livin' Again"
I don’t get why this album. There could’ve been a DangerMouse album, or the next Cee Lo album which features F@*&$ You (which is an all-decade jam)….but this one seems muddled. Dunno. I like Cee Lo but….meh.
Wow, this is not really soul, huh? I liked almost everything with this album except the main part, Cee-Lo's rapping. His voice just does not much what he is saying at all. The couple times he actually did sing were far better, but that was rare on this overly long album.
Couldn't finish it. 16 tracks was approx 14 tracks too long
Okay, but nothing that really stands out, drifts along pleasantly enough. Smooth but utimately a bit bland
Kanye wannabe. Not great tbh
2.5 It isn't bad
Hmm. I don’t think I’ll ever listen to any of this ever again
More like a boring machine
Witty lyrics but his munchkin voice grates after awhile. Won’t be seeking this out I’m sure.
I like some of Cee-Lo's other work. These just aren't very good songs for the most part. There's 1 decent song every once in a while but nothing that felt memorable. I'll stick with Gnarls Barkley.
Wel prima maar echt niet de beste muziek
Good not great also not really for me.
Just ok for me. Nothing bad, just not my kind of music and nothing stood out. I was expecting to hear the "Fuck You" song, but guess that was from a different album. Shame.
I just wanted Gnarls Barkley.
Just not my bag
Expectations were low but was pleasantly surprised. Timbland being on here just reminds me of the terrible songs that were on in the clubs all the time I was at uni. Not an album I’ll be rushing back too.
If I woke up to find out I could pass off a reasonable impression of Outkast, I'd probably make this album too. Especially if I could sing like this. And if I also had the same contacts in my Rolodex.
did not knock my socks off. Don't know that I will go back to it.
It's got some okay tracks on it, not sure what else to say
Never could get on with his voice, and this seems to be a middling rap album, despite me being heavily into rap from this era.
2 good songs - the one with Luda and the one with Pharrell
Honestly I just can't get into this album at all
Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood, but I really didn't enjoy this album. I thought I would - all the ingredients are there - but it left me cold. It's like a cake decorated with fondant. It looks impressive, but when you try to eat it's, like just like sweet play dough.
Auf Dauer nervige Stimme. Insgesamt nix besonderes. Hab manchmal mitgenickt, daher 2.
The Soul Machine lyckas tyvärr inte skapa något som berör min själ. Hip-hop med soulinfluenser. Ok rap, oftast lite halvtråkiga beats. Ganska lekfull känsla. Inte speciellt dåligt, men de flesta låtarna är inte speciellt bra. Bitvis, i de mer "seriösa" låtarna, finns det ändå lite mer substans, t.ex. i Living Again. I Am Selling Soul har ett coolt beat switch, och en väldigt bra andra halva. Bra flow i When We Were Friends (kings?). Sometimes är bra, spoken word över skönt beat. Bästa låt(ar): Living Again och Sometimes.
2004. I'll Be Around, My Kind Of People
2.5 / 5 Decent, a couple of good tracks here and there but overall the album felt a bit drawn-out.
Too much rap, not enough soul
NOT my style. Listenable, but with some pain involved.
Not my thing.
There is some reality to face here, Cee-Lo may be a soul machine but he is not _the_ soul machine. While his solo efforts are respectable, his collaborative works tend to be better. We can appreciate the musical offerings here and respect them for what they are, but whether or not these definitive claims hold any weight is up for considerable debate. Cee-Lo is talented, as a vocalist/rapper/composer his music is catchy, and they do earn their popularity. Perhaps the reason this album makes 1001's list is that we need to be reminded that sometimes we are better together.
Hiphop con buenas melodías. No destaca especialmente en nada
Yeah this is shite
Starts off completely uninteresting (muzak-level composition and vox) before taking a turn into the annoying with grating vocals that come across as trying too hard. There are some commendable production decisions on this LP, but everything above coupled with an overall dollop of arrogance throughout means I won't soon be returning to this one.
Some of the best albums on this list are genre benders. This one attempts to combine soul and rap, and it falls flat for me. It's not just that Cee-Lo really isn't a rapper (he really, really isn't); even the features don't work. It comes across as confused more than innovative. It's baffling that this made the list and the Gnarls Barkley debut didn't. Best track: The Art of Noise
Ja vet int om de va mixen eller min högtalare som e broke men de här albumet lät inte bra. Childz play fanar dock
ceelo is a good singer but this was annoying. It's not that bad, I liked the songs toward the end more, but still
Muutama ihan jeekkis biisi, mutta kokonaisuus ei säväyttänyt. Välistä kuulosti kuin Dave Chappelle olis vaihtanut laulun puolelle (eikä ollut kehu)
Groovea löyty ja suurimmalta osin oli viihdyttävä levy. Piti muutaman kerran kuunnella. Tosin en usko, että tulee löytymään omilta soittolistoilta.
He needs Danger Mouse
There was potential here but he says N more than wu tang clan, it was juvenile in parts and the later controversies aren't a surprise after listening to this.
Guessing you either like his vocal tone or loathe it. Made it half way through the album...
I see the appeal, but it's just not my thing. 2/5
Pop bem feito, mas sem reconhecer algum hit.
False advertising, wanted more soul.
Not a huge fan of Cee Lo just personal
It was alright. I'm not the biggest fan of Cee-Lo. It was nice to hear other music of his other than just the one I know. 2-3 stars probably.
This hip-hop album didn't draw me in.
no me gusto pero no es tan malo fjdajkfa
Schon originell, aber nichts für mich!
Didn't even know this album was a thing 😂 I rate Cee-Lo though from the days of Goodie Mob, Gnarles Barley too. Halfway through and I'm not that impressed 😂 it's OK but it's nowhere near as good as Gnarles or Goodie. Feels like a bit of a swing and a miss. Shame, wanted to enjoy it. 2/5
Meh - I don't see when you would ever want to listen to this.
Bestimmt seit Ludacris keinen Southside Rap mehr gehört. Macht gut Laune, hat aber nicht genug Texttiefe, um mich zum Weiterhören zu animieren. Da höre ich dann lieber OutKast. Zum putzen& aufräumen OK
This one really wasn’t for me. There are some very good tracks on it. I think it suffers from cd bloat, at over an hour long, there is some serious editing that could have probably made it a tight, better album. Good songs on it, but overall a slog to get through
It is ok
Nah
Didn't listen to it all and skipped a few, but surprisingly not as bad as I was expecting. Few funky soul tunes in there... Can't say I didn't enjoy Soul Machine 🕺
For me it was a bit meh. I got about half way through this album before I remembered that Cee-Lo Green features on ‘The Mouse and the Mask’ with Dangermouse and MF DOOM. Then I remembered how incredible that album is. Then I went and listened to that instead. Maybe the second half of this album is better than the first, but even if it is I still think I made the right choice. Cracking voice though, and I’m not sure Van Morrison’s ever been asked to appear on ‘The Masked Singer’, so he’s got that going for him.
One hit wonder
The run time is too long and I find his voice irritating by the end of it. The songs are also just not interesting at all.
Rap meh
Nada interesante que ofrecer
Not my bag. A bit silly at times. Also listened to a whole other album I didn't need to, which may have skewed my opinion
annoying voice, and just boring music. not my bag :/
Hay que empezar por decirlo, Cee-Lo sí tiene talento; de hecho es un músico bastante talentoso con buen oído, muy versátil y es un excelente productor. Por otro lado, Cee-Lo es malo rapeando y siempre se ha empecinado en hacerlo. Tiene una voz muy particular que funciona en algunas canciones y en muchas otras no. El peor problema de este disco es que esa versatilidad la utiliza para mal; termina tratando de abarcar demasiado y, a diferencia de otros discos que nos han tocado, en este no funciona. Las canciones que suenan más a soul son buenas, muy bien producidas y de sonido brillante. El problema es que trata de hacer demasiado hip-hop con ritmos sosos que no dan nada especial y letras mensas; trata de hacer medio románticas que tampoco cuadran. Si este fuera un disco ceñido a la forma en que suenan las primeras dos canciones sería un buen disco, de la forma en que quedó es un desastre sin pies ni cabeza que se siente cansado y largo a pesar de durar solo una hora. El disco Lady Killer de él mismo es muchísimo mejor a mi parecer, más concentrado a enfocarse y con un resultado mucho mejor. Cosas rescatables perdidas en este pero el disco termina sintiéndose muy raro e incomodo.
The best thing I can say about this album is that the music is better than the hideous cover art.....but that’s a low bar
Pretty fun. Need a half star here, this album is right at 2.5 for me.
Tiene varias que me laten... no están en éste album
i know i'm biased but i just really don't like him as a person so i cannot justify giving him anything above a 2
some catchy hooks but mostly corny
Cuando empezamos y hubo hip hop con The Roots pensé que podría tener espacio para que algo de este estilo me guste, pero este disco me demostró que mñeh… hay cosas realmente aburridas y sin ningún interés para mí. No me gusta la voz, no me gusta el estilo de rapeo y no me gusta que casi en ninguna canción la instrumentación. Le rescata la segunda estrella que en algún momento me recordó a un desfile en NOLA.
Like the PG version of Cee-lo's best song, I think I'll say "forget you" to this album
Cee Lo's comments in recent years have soured his reputation. Solid production by the Neptunes and Jazzy Pha, but the album contains too much filler.
very rappy, i think kim will like this
Cee-Lo just ain’t for me
Album #239 Cee-Lo Green: Cee-Lo Green… Is The Soul Machine I guess ‘machine’ would be a good name for Cee-Lo, because this is this album is a manufactured, commercial excuse for ‘soul’ music. I mean, even the term ‘soul machine’ is an idiom, and in Cee-Lo’s case, he’s all machine, no soul. But this isn’t even really a soul album; it’s a shitty 2000s rap album by an artist with an overinflated ego, who only knows how to write about himself and how great he is, and in Cee-Lo’s case, how multitalented he is. Well, as far as I’m concerned, the only good song Cee-Lo ever made was spoonfed to him by Madlib; you could have put my ass on ‘Crazy,’ and it still would have cracked the top 50. I’m sure this album was popular on release, but judging from the fact that only one song out of an hour-long album has cracked one million streams, it’s pretty blatant that this thing had no staying power. Which really isn’t surprising when your themes are as uninspiring as Cee-Lo’s; really, the opposite of timeless is this album. As far as albums before the 2000s go, this list has been fairly rational in its choices, but they really couldn’t decide if they should focus on popular or critically acclaimed for more modern albums, so we are left with slop like this wasting our time. Best Songs: I’ll Be Around, The Art of Noise, All Day Love Affair Worst Song: Glockapella Score out of 10: 3
I really need to get myself a copy of the book so that I can see what kind of bullshit justification they give for including this album in the book. This is just soul music filtered through the lens of a mediocre at best hip-hop artist. I have genuinely always considered Cee-Lo as a one-hit wonder, and that hit isn’t even on this album.
Bro says it’s okay to rape women. I say it’s okay to not listen to this album.
672/1001 (2026.08.04) 🌗🌑🌑🌑🌑 Seriously???
Meh
I can barely stand this kind of music. I don't like rap at all—especially not the kind with dirty lyrics. There might be a bit of Black soul music in there too; I don't care much for that either—I’d much rather listen to Black blues. I only played snippets of most of the tracks; I don't want to ruin my Friday!
I'm torn on writing this. Cee-Lo is a great musician and is very very fun. But he is also a sex pest and a hypocrite.
Honestly, I got like 3/4 of the way through, skipped a lot of the tracks. Usually, I like a lot of the soul wrap mix like this, and some of green songs, but not this one. Two stars.
Pfffff... bon, alors, avant de l'écouter, j'ai été un peu voir la description sur Wikipédia, comme je le fais la plupart du temps. Et alors vraiment, la section "Legacy" vend du rêve, je cite : "The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.". Voilà, c'est tout ce pour quoi l'album est connu. Bon, jusque-là, je restais ouvert d'esprit. C'était peut-être un album méconnu, mais important pour son impact. Peut-être qu'il a directement ou indirectement influencé toute une génération d'artistes, non ? Je lance l'album et au départ, je me dis que c'est plutôt sympathique, mais relativement osef (on a l'habitude, avec Robert Dimery, les albums osef, c'est sa grande passion). Sauf que plus on avance, moins je comprends l'intérêt. C'est un album de rap tout ce qu'il y a de plus courant pour l'époque, avec des relents de soul, si j'ai bien compris. Et plus j'écoute, plus ça me fatigue et je me demande vraiment pourquoi ce bon vieux Bob a décidé qu'il fallait absolument que j'écoute cet album dans ma vie. Alors rebelote, je vais sur Wikipédia et cette fois, je vais voir la fiche de Cee-Lo Green, peut-être que c'est l'ensemble de son œuvre qui est influente ? Alors déjà, y'a rien de particulier sur son influence, mais on en apprend encore plus sur le bonhomme : - il traite de gay les critiques qui sont pas fan de son album et ne voit pas en quoi c'est homophobe, - quand il interprète Imagine, de John Lennon (encore une sacrée tête de con), il change les paroles pour "and all religions true", parce que nique le sens original de la chanson, je suppose, - il a des histoires de violences sexuelles au cul. Et concernant son influence, bah il a eu des récompenses (on sait ce que ça vaut, dans la musique...) et il a été jury dans la version américaine de The Voice (ce qui en fait une sorte de Vianney américain, je suppose ? /troll). Ah oui, vraiment, un indispensable, absolument. Bref, le mec a l'air d'être un con fini et cet album était franchement inutile et franchement ennuyeux. Robert Dimery a déjà sorti d'excellent albums de rap des années 2000 dans sa liste, je lui dois la découverte de Lupe Fiasco, alors pourquoi s'encombrer avec ce truc ? 1, parce que non seulement c'était nul, mais le type est en plus insupportable.