Three albums into his solo career, Cee Lo Green is on the tip of everyone's tongues. Whether or not he can stay there, however, is a question that The Lady Killer addresses. The lead single for this record, ""Fuck You!"" was leaked to huge viral success, creating enormous buzz around the album. But as genius as ""Fuck You!"" is, the rest of the album lacks this initial punch.
That doesn't mean the rest of the record isn't worth listening to, though. With ""The Lady Killer Theme (Intro),"" Green sets up a new persona that he uses for the entirety of the album. Instead of the usual rap/hip-hop fare he offered with Gnarls Barkley, he portrays a smooth-talking player with a soulful voice that should melt ladies' hearts.
""Bright Lights, Bigger City"" is a straightforward song about the virtues of Saturday nights. With a staccato intro and a fantastic bass line, this song was written specifically with the dance floor in mind. Unfortunately, this song just isn't memorable, and as soon as it's over you've forgotten about it.
The aforementioned ""Fuck You!"" absolutely spoils this album. Combining a soulful sound and sentiment everyone can relate to, Green hits the nail on the head. With first-rate production from The Smeezingtons and contributions from Bruno Mars' production and writing team, this track is solid gold––not to mention the single's fabulous video. The quirky humor of not only the lyrics, but Green's gospel-like vocal performance as well, makes this track the absolute standout of this album.
Cymbal rolls, piano and vocals carry the listener into the next track, ""Wildflower."" While this song is more serious and features a less whiney tone than ""Fuck You!"" does, ""Wildflower"" is one of the album's more underrated tracks.
The second single, ""Old Fashioned,"" is a slow, soulful jam in which Green's signature vocal style is absent. The song is produced well, but it just lacks the freshness of the other tracks and sounds exactly as its title suggests. This is easily the weakest track on the album, and it raises questions as to why it was released as a single.
The cover of the Band of Horses song ""No One's Gonna Love You"" is intriguing, but it ultimately feels like filler on this 14-track album. Considering that the song is to be released on a split 7"" single that also features a Band of Horses cover of Green's ""Georgia,"" it feels like an unneccessary inclusion on an already lengthy album.
Aside from ""Fuck You!,"" the only song with hit potential on the record is also the fourth single to be released, ""It's OK."" Lyrically, ""It's OK"" doesn't stray from the formula of ""Fuck You!,"" utilizing humor and heartfelt lamentations for the end of a relationship. With full-bodied instrumentation and an overtly positive message, this song is ridiculously catchy.
With a few tweaks, The Lady Killer could've been one of the year's best pop records. Tracks such as ""Satisfied,"" ""I Want You"" and ""Cry Baby"" exemplify the stellar production and classy writing that made ""Fuck You!"" so undeniably successful, but overall the album falls short of the sky-high expectations set by ""Fuck You!""
At the end of the day, The Lady Killer still gets me to dance more than the average pop record would, but there's just too much filler for me to fully endorse this album.
