A few days ago, I decided to pick up the Gnarls Barkley “St. Elsewhere” CD. For those that don’t know, Gnarls Barkley is a muscial collaboration between underground producer Danger Mouse and former Goodie M.O.B. front man Cee-Lo. Apparently, the group has become the new hip thing for young urbanites to have on their CD shelves. After weeks of media hype and several recommendations from my readers, I picked up the disc.

Given the lack of quality in today’s musical marketplace, the album is a refreshing change of pace. Like Andre 3000’s “Love Below” masterpiece, Gnarls throws off the artistic shackles of traditional hip-hop and makes an album from the heart. With Danger Mouse behind the boards, Gnarls gives us an eclectic but unpretentious mix of D’n'B, house, funk, hip-hop, gospel, and soul. The man best known for mashing up Jigga and the Beatles finds his artistic soul mate in Cee Lo, who is equally willing to extend beyond his comfort zone and perform different artistic selves. The combination works best on tracks like the wildy popular “Crazy,” “Just a Thought” and “Go, Go Gadget Gospel”.

Unfortunately, as Common learned with “Electric Circus,” following one’s artistic dream can also alienate listeners. At various moments on the album, listeners will inevitably feel like they are on the outside of a musical inside joke between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo. While this undoubtedly made for great sudio sessions, it doesn’t always translate well to “St. Elsewhere.” Also, there are a few moments where, like “Electric Circus,” the album feels contrived, like it’s trying too hard to be avante garde.

In many ways, “St. Elsewhere” represents hip-hop’s growing maturity. In addition to challenging our aesthetic sensibilities, the album offers a more expansive range of themes than the tired “money, drugs, hoes, thug love” themes that we’re forced to endure on Top-40 radio. Issues like depression, craziness, pathology, and radical hope place this album in sharp relief to its Billboard neighbors.

Overall, Gnarls Barkley’s debut disc is one of the better albums that have emerged this year. While it’s far from a classic, it’ll provide definite listening satisfaction.

BARBERSHOP RATING: 3.5 out of 5 clippers