A Really Fine Pair Of Shades Means Everything To Cee-Lo's New Album Cover

Cee-Lo has a supercool cover picked out for his Lady Killer album, which is due next month. It’s classic-looking. And very familiar. The sunglasses, the relaxed pose, the close-up headshot.

Of course, sunglasses go with music stardom like cocaine goes with more cocaine. There are lots of famous songs about the subject. Some of them are great. Thusly, there have been many album covers similar to Cee-Lo’s.

I’m guessing people will first compare it to the image from Rick Ross’s recent Teflon Don album.

But I think the reference is most directly to Bobby Womack.

But it’s also like Stevie Wonder.

And Lou Reed, too.

And, as unfortunate as this is to remember, Lenny Kravtiz.

And Syl Johnson.

And O.V. Wright.

And in some ways most of all, though it isn’t an album cover, Ethan Russell’s famous picture of Keith Richards.

Here’s Cee-Lo again, full-size: