Producer Danger Mouse (Brian Barton) and rapper Cee-lo Green (Thomas Callaway) came together in 2003, but while their debut – 'St. Elsewhere' - grabbed the public's attention, it's their latest release – 'The Odd Couple' – that introduces us to the pair's subtle talents.

A leak on the internet forced Barkley to bring forward their release date from April 8 to the end of March, and it's easy to see why cyber surfing fans were so eager to get their hands on the creation.

Ethereal, hypnotic, bluesy, experimental and funky - collating together all the best aspects of music from the last hundred years – 'The Odd Couple' is a treat.

Oozing summer, opening track 'Charity Case' immediately smoozes you with some interesting bass strings and its other worldly vocals before coasting into the Louis Armstrong echoing 'Who's Gonna Save My Soul' where Cee-lo's husky vocals prove seductive and inviting.

Energy is infused into 'Going On' to bring the pace up to more of a Black Eyed Peas rythym. While still enticing and better than much of what's available through itunes, 'Going On' is made to satisfy the commercial market and if it weren't for the soulful and melancholic final minute it would be classed as the weak point of the album.

Instead it perfectly bridges the gap between the introspective start of the album and the already released – 'Run' – which, like 'Crazy,' is a hugely popular favourite with Radio's and DJ's throughout the UK.

Sagging slightly in the middle, 'Would Be Killer' has too many elements layered on top of each other and is misguidedley led by drawn out drowsy vocals.

And 'Open Book' proves to be a strangely aggressive track that never quite sits right, even with the skillfully gaspy background strings that are brought in and out intermittently. Though knowing Gnarls Barkley, this could be the biggest grower on the album.

'Whatever' takes petchulant childishishness and makes it enjoyably playful – but be warned – it is a track you will either love or find grating.

However, the conflicting middle is wiped from the memory with 'Surprise,' a funky track that wouldn't have been out of place on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and which leads into the stripped down (for Barkley that is) 'No Time Soon,' a soulful offering with contemplative synthesisers that sets the scene for the second half of the album.

Despite getting lost somewhat in the middle, 'The Odd Couple' is a fantastic sophmore album which shows that it's not the quantity of musicians that make a stunning album but the quality.

Definitely a must-listen.

This CD is available to buy now from Woolworths.