Cee-lo Green & His Perfect Imperfections

Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.104) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002" Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.104) - Ranked #9 in Rolling Stone's list of 2002's "10 Best Debuts" Rolling Stone (4/25/02, p.79) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...The varied music finds its center in a guitar funk heavier thanany member of the Dungeon Family has bumped out before..." Spin (May 2002, pp.117-118) - 6 out of 10 - "...a Baptist minister's son with a voice like a P-Funk werewolf..." Q (8/02, pp.121-2) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...With technicolor tunes, playground rhymes and flamboyant R&B...Green comes on like a funk-loving preacher..." Uncut (9/02, p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Cee-Lo's accelerating raps slur into a rapturous singing voice that resembles Al Green with a mouthful of grits." Alternative Press (5/02, p.80) - 8 out of 10 - "...The best case yet for Atlanta's Dungeon Family collective....The album mimics the freaky sprawl and frequent brilliance of classic George Clinton..." CMJ (4/29/02, p.5) - "The first reaction most listeners will have...is fun..." Vibe (4/02, pp.161-2) - 4 discs out of 5 - "...Cee-Lo is Southern soul personified. The rhymes, the gospel, the music, the melodies - they run in his blood. He was born to do it. And he does it well." Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.73) - Ranked #4 in Mojo's "Best Urban Albums of 2002" Mojo (Publisher) (9/02, p.101) - "...this outfit is all about quality...an album of jaw-dropping range." NME (Magazine) (7/20/02, p.44) - 6 out of 10 - "...Dirty South's freakiest character yet..."

数か月前の『Even In Darkness』でのコスプレのせいもあるんだろうが、ダンジョン一族のレコードを手にするときって、フィギュア屋で物色してるときのような思考回路が働く。個性のないフィギュアなんてない。個性派だらけのダーティー・サウス勢でも異彩を放つ、グッディ・モブの忘れられないキャラ＝シー・ロー。もっと早く出てても良かったんじゃ?とも思えるファースト・ソロ・アルバムは、当然つるんでの作品以上に、ただでも強烈なキャラをこってりと発揮。MC、シンガー、そしてプロデューサーとしての器用な行動は飽きさせない。回帰的な演出も含め、昔の自由なミクスチャー志向のファンク・スターを思い出させつつ、現在にうまく着地させたカオス・サウンドは、（意外にも）整理され、ときおり奇妙な美しさすら放つ……にしても、やっぱしけったいなヤツ、ヤツらですな。
bounce (C)栗原　聰