Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer | CD review

The disappointing thing about Cee Lo Green's first post-Gnarls Barkley solo record is the decision to use the lobotomised version of Fuck You in its tracklisting. The sweary original is carelessly dumped after the Outro while Forget You – fresh from a gang-mauling by Sunday's X Factor finalists – sits smugly at track three. The joy of the song came from the juxtaposition of those life-affirming major key piano chords with the song's bitter message to a former lover. Stripping its profane edge defies the whole point. This quibble aside, the rest of the tracks make up for it, matching Green's wonderful engine-powered voicebox with some smooth production from the likes of Salaam Remi, Jack Splash and Fraser T Smith. Highlights come in Satisfied – replete with jolly Bacharach/David horns – and darker moments like the murderous Bodies, where Green seems to have taken his album's title literally. Tremendous fun. And if you disagree, Green's probably got two words for you.