Cee Lo combats homesick with conga drums

Cee Lo Green was driven to use conga drums in a song because he was so homesick.

The American star recorded his track Wildflower with writer and producer Fraser T. Smith, who has opened up about the experience. Cee Lo had been away from home for some time when he hit the studio and was feeling down, so the two men began talking about music the star liked in order to raise his spirits.

The singer explained he had always loved Spandau Ballet track gold, which includes the special drums.

"Literally, the last ditch attempt was to get the congas out," Fraser told Q magazine. "I've never played congas before. Being honest and saying, 'I'm not too sure about this, let's try something fresh,' is the best way of doing it."

Fraser has also worked with Adele, who was less sure of what she wanted. The British singer explained she wasn't interested in having the usual kind of drum noises featured on tracks, and wanted something more "rhythmic".

The result was her track Set Fire to the Rain on her album 21. The song has sold over three-and-a-half million digital copies in the US.