Cee-Lo

Cee-Lo

Gregory Gymnasium, April 24 "Horns!" yelled Cee-Lo from the stage at UT's Gregory Gymnasium Saturday evening by way of introducing "My Kind of People." Rather than a calculated attempt at being friendly to the mascot that sponsored his visit, it was a beacon of the programmed trumpets that begin the soul throwback. Not that it would've been surprising had he tried to further connect with the sparse student crowd. After all, that's what the storied Atlanta hip-hop MC was doing his entire all-too-brief 45 minutes onstage. Performing as part of the university's annual 40 Acres Fest, former Goodie Mob standout Cee-Lo Green fought through rain delays and venue changes to deliver a set that scored high marks, at least when one could make out his lyrics through the P.A. Unexpectedly forced into the concert-unfriendly gym, the sound proved muddier than the ground outside. All the same, Cee-Lo and his crew (two supporting MCs and a DJ) threw down a hip-hop exercise dominated by older material. Occasionally, more recent hits like "Closet Freak" popped up, but only three of his dozen or so choices were from this year's commercial come-on, Cee-Lo Green ... Is the Soul Machine. What's more, it would be tough to assume that many of the under-20 set in attendance knew just who Cee-Lo was in the first place. With a heavy arsenal of catchy tunes, it rarely mattered. Cee-Lo affected the crowd with older Goodie Mob samples just as much as when the ladies waved their index fingers in the air for show closer and current hit single "The One," perhaps the only "one" most of them showed up to see.