GNARLS BARKLEY St Elsewhere Warner Bros****

Memo to pop-pickers everywhere: it's all about the song. There will always be a place in the history books for Gnarls Barkley, but they didn't become the first pop combo to snare a number one single on the back of digital downloads alone just because of any old song. Crazy is already the tune of the year, a feel-good blast of pop and soul which has taken over your favourite radio station. Both parts of the Gnarls Barkley equation have previous form - producer Dangermouse for The Grey Album and his work with Gorillaz, vocalist Cee-Lo for his runnings with the Goodie Mob and well-received solo turns such as Cee-Lo Green ... Is The Soul Machine - yet the Barkley adventure will easily surpass previous highs. St Elsewhere is the sound of summer, an album that takes a whole host of different strands and ties them into a very smart bow. Naturally, there are reminders of albums that have gone this way before - more classic old-school soul snap than anything from the hip-hop canon, to be honest - on tracks such as Smiley Faces and the sweetly charming Boogie Monster. The duo can also do dark (check out Just a Thought) and, naturally, they can also make a hash of things (Gone Daddy Gone should have been left with the Violent Femmes). Mostly, though, this is 21st-century pop music to put a smile on your gob. www.gnarlsbarkley.com

Jim Carroll