CeeLo Green is back. The soul crooner smiles through the pain on “Robin Williams,” the first single off his upcoming album Heart Blanche. On the somber track, he names famous actors who have passed away including Chris Farley, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Pryor, and Williams.
“We don’t know what the next man’s going through,” sings CeeLo. “Life reminds me of Robin Williams / We’ve got to laugh the pain away.”
“Each of those people I named were just a few of the artists that have served as comic relief giving me laughter throughout periods of my personal and professional life,” he told Mashable. “Being that I’m cut from that cloth, I realized that comedy is cathartic to both the audience and the author.”
Heart Blanche, his first album since his 2012 Christmas project CeeLo’s Magic Moment, is due Nov. 13 featuring contributions from Mark Ronson, Charlie Puth, Eg White, Wallpaper, and John Hill.
“The album is entitled Heart Blanche to imply that this record is a renaissance, and the variety are vital signs of a healthy heart,” said CeeLo, while his manager Larry Mestel called it “arguably the best piece of work he’s ever done.”
Listen to “Robin Williams” below and watch the interactive video here.