Does Gnarls Barkley's album "St. Elsewhere" shed light on his mysterious personage, or does it further obscure him? It's a complex record, to be sure. It employs the full spectra of pop music and human emotion. The warm, breezy single "Crazy" and the spry finger-snapper "Smiley Faces" recall "Songs In The Key Of Life" and "Good Vibrations" in equal measure. "On Line," a lament for the lonely and ambitious, could be a tricked-out G-funk holdover. Often dark and unpredictable, "St. Elsewhere" nevertheless retains its sense of joy throughout. Even Cee-Lo's darker moments, his introspection on "Necromancer," and the chilling "Just A Thought," on which our hero fights off suicidal ideation, flourish in their lush, funky surroundings. It constantly shifts its shape and never sacrifices momentum. And it contains a mess of contradictory clues about just who Gnarls Barkley actually is. Perhaps Gnarls Barkley will never fully reveal himself. But if "St. Elsewhere" is any indication, his music bears Marvin Gaye's depth of feeling, Jeff Buckley's emotive theatrics, and wild courage not seen since Prince's prime. Behold the most exciting debut of 2006. A psychedelic soul masterpiece.