Grammys midway: An early look at album of the year contenders

"The Odd Couple": Sophomore effort from the duo of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, and the follow-up to the album-of-the-year-nominated "St. Elsewhere."

Grammy potential: Any act that's already released one album-of-the-year-nominated album would certainly figure into the Grammy conversation. However, "St. Elsewhere" was a bit of a phenomena, and was driven largely by the success of crossover smash "Crazy." "St. Elsewhere" has lacked such a hit, and while certainly a success -- the album is still in the top 200 of the U.S. pop chart more than two months after its release -- "The Odd Couple" is an album that showcases Gnarls Barkley's weirdness ahead of its mainstream appeal.

Grammy deserving: Without "Crazy," "St. Elsewhere" was a spooked, R&B-flavored psychedelic headtrip. "The Odd Couple" is even more out there, filtering '70s soul through an assortment of out-of-this-world effects, and coming off like a gleefully cartoonish nightmare. But it's also a wonderful showcase for Cee-Lo, and his growth as a soul vocalist (Check out the scorching album-opener "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"). It's one of the finest albums released this year.