Cee-lo - Cee-lo Green Is The Soul Machine (Arista)

Cee-Lo Green is on a mission. His genre-bending first album successfully expanded the boundaries of rap music, and Green's innovative work continues on his sophomore release, Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine. Like his Dungeon Family brethren OutKast, the portly Atlanta native hopes to save contemporary hip hop from itself. He challenges overblown stereotypes and prevailing thug mores on songs like "Glockapella," which attacks ghetto notions of masculinity. Green's throaty tenor glides through the lilting piano work and horns on the mellow "All Day Love Affair." His potent fusion of blues, R&B, funk, rock, gospel, and hip hop has morphed his sound into something more Bobby Womack than Biggie. But he still manages to incorporate raps into much of the mix. Even the lead single, "I'll Be Around," featuring Timbaland, defies radio formats. Atop go-go-influenced drums, he lays into his spoken-word style: "I do what they won't do and can't do," he raps. And the man behind the machine does that like no one else.