In a world where it's the norm to have a one-off collaboration between a producer and a rapper, something special has to happen to prompt a sequel. Of course, "Crazy" was all the prompting needed for Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse to rejuvenate Gnarls Barkley, their collaboration by mail that sparked the brightest and catchiest single since OutKast's "Hey Ya." But fans and critics have to understand that these two were exactly the types to walk away from a follow-up simply for the purpose of a cash-in, which makes that follow-up, The Odd Couple, such a strange proposition -- it's exactly like St. Elsewhere, and fails to reveal a single new thing. All the hallmarks of a follow-up record are here -- similar sounds and themes, for sure, but also a clear lack of innovation, lyrical and production touches that have since become clichés, and more than just a few passages that will prompt a severe case of listener déjà vu. (Of course, many listeners may enjoy that sense of déjà vu.) As before, Danger Mouse's productions are miniature, modernist spaghetti Westerns, very closely detailed whether their major voice is an acoustic guitar or a choir of unholy voices. These are then chained to amped-up beats and beefed-up basslines to create something that sounds both vintage and up to date, all at the same time. Cee-Lo's lyrics and vocals again reveal a lunatic (or seer) who's occasionally more lucid than the sane, an enlightened psychopath wrestling with his demons and revealing the thin line between being crazy and sensible. At times, The Odd Couple is a more beautiful record than its predecessor -- the duo has never put out anything more moving on a musical and emotional level than "Who's Going to Save My Soul," and Danger Mouse's production work outshines St. Elsewhere on one track ("Open Book"). But all too often Cee-Lo relies on the same sort of lyrical cipher as on St. Elsewhere, although none of them are as effective. "I don't understand how I'm so understanding"; "I'm goin' on, and I think they'll have a place for you too"; "I could be a would-be killer" -- these are the ramblings of a madman; they may sound deep and profound late at night, but they're revealed as nonsense with the light of day.© John Bush /TiVo

The veteran electric guitarist dashes off some spectacular solo runs on this collection, but he seems confused as to which genre he's playing in. His jumpy, shuffling cover of "Midnight at the Oasis" features a blazing Kirk Whalum sax solo and would be a natural for smooth jazz radio if other artists hadn't already redone the 1974 chestnut. On numbers like "You've Changed," however, he slows the pace down to Quaalude calm, aiming for intimacy with a small string section, but ending up with an insomnia cure. Then he's trying the bossa nova thing on the easy swaying "Garden of Dreams," and simply noodling and trying to impress us with his coolness on a brief improvised interlude "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." While he's all over the map throughout, he offers some musical oases that the casual listener can turn to while trying to figure out the rest -- inventive reworkings of the theme songs to '70s TV icons The Odd Couple and Hawaii Five-0. At eight minutes and pretty sluggish, "The Odd Couple" is kind of like watching Felix and Oscar listen to jazz while on Prozac. But "Five-O" features some of Taylor's snappiest soloing as well as a glimmering electric piano solo by Matt Rollings that puts the tune in its rightful retro place. The dichotomy of these two approaches characterizes the whole disc, which is highly listenable in spots, but too inconsistent on the whole.© Jonathan Widran /TiVo

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One doesn't normally think of harmonica and tuba together in a small-group setting, yet Ron Kalina and Jim Self not only pull it off, but excel in their diverse program. While liner note writer Don Heckman joked that he thought the combination sounded like "just this side of a root canal" when he first heard of it, the results are surprising. Both Kalina and Self, who recorded an album together in 1983, are superb technicians who solo with gusto, yet they also know a thing or two about complementing one another's work. With guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Tom Warrington, and drummer Joe La Barbera joining in the fun, they offer a hip, swinging treatment of Neal Hefti's lighthearted theme from The Odd Couple. There's a marvelous treatment of Oliver Nelson's signature blues, "Stolen Moments," and intricate renditions of Charlie Parker's challenging "Confirmation" and "Donna Lee," pieces that should be impossible to negotiate with any substance at anything but a slow tempo. They also explore Brazilian music by Jobim and Eça with equal authority. Both leaders contributed strong originals to the date too. This is a perfect CD for curing any blues one might have. © Ken Dryden /TiVo