Lewis Black - Rules of Enragement
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Free Music Notes for Rules of Enragement
Free Music Review: Edgy Topical Comedy
Hit: 4 Stars
I must have seen Black a few times on the Daily Show. It didn't make enough of an impression. Then I heard "Universe" on XM one Friday night. I didn't know what it was. I assumed it was a 5 minute slice, but it kept going on and on. It was hilarious. They ran the whole CD as a concert, but I missed the intro. I have that CD. Then I got the White CD. I bought this one when it was announced on Daily. Lew likes to keep the expectation down, so I'm only giving him 4 stars. I'd like to give him 5 stars somewhere down the line. There's a lot of material on this CD, in minutes. There's a lot of material, actually, in terms of quality rantings by Mr. Black. His CD's begin with something about the area where the concert is being recorded. In this case, it is Minnesota. This is actually pretty cute. He moves from this to the weather, a standard for Black. Where Seinfeld might ask "What's the deal with...", Black just tosses out his insights as a kind of running commentary on Lew's life. He's angy about the stuff he's stuck with (the weather), and angry about stuff that is happening (corporate greed).
So. He is talking about New Zealand and Italy, places where he has travelled. He manages to include some thoughts on drinking, which is something he generally talks about (favorably). The edgiest material is about "Greed", the corporate variety. I don't know of anyone who has expressed the outrage better. Looking at the folks who stole a billion from Adelphia, he asks (well, screams) whether their plan was to have their own space program? He is not a big fan of Martha Stewart. Listen. Draw your own conclusions. The way he ties Martha to gayosity is totally original. This guy is original. I don't know how much farther he can take some of this stuff (like the way he moves the subject to Martha in the first place).
There's a rhythm to these collections. It's one long monologue with the F word used a zillion times. There's a similarity between Black and Sam Kinison. They use their voices to express a lot of emotion. Sam was raw. Black is totally self-deprecating. Sam took everything too far, bounced back, and died tragically south of Vegas as he re-emerged. There is something delicate about talent like this. I still remember Ernie Kovacs.
I've heard that the great sitcoms (television) generally are built around the comedian who captures the moment. At one time, that was Bob Newhart. More recently, it was Seinfeld. The joke is that the shows are about nothing, but they are shows that project the vision of the comic. Lewis Black is stretching to the point where he could be that comic. Apparently, that's been discussed, but I don't know. I wonder how much of the edge would come off.
It's been a long time since I thought anyone was really funny. There are people who can deliver good monologues, like Leno or Letterman. Those jokes are pretty standardized. There are people I think are funny, like Chris Rock, but they seem to lack depth. Most of the movies that are described as having a comedic element are black comedies, like the recent Jack Nicholson stuff. Lewis Black is very special. I hope the entertainment world finds a good spot for him, not that there is anything wrong with what he is doing. It's easy to see that he could get too edgy, and that the constant stream of profanity limits his appeal. I'd love to see material of this quality come out every year, and just buy the CD. I hope Lew does what is best for Lew and he can continue to share his insights without too much contamination.
Free Music Review: It's good, but it could have been better.
Hit: 4 Stars
When I first heard that he had a new CD out, I was pretty ecstatic thinking that it'd be good, if not better then his last 2 CD's. When I opened the package and popped the CD in the first thing I noticed was that the sound quality wasn't that great. I had to turn up the volume at some parts then turn it back down to hear it. They seemed to put more emphasis on the audience laughing and such then on Lew. A little disconcerting. First he started to talk about Minnesota which the audience seemed to enjoy it a bunch (a lot of whooping and hollering) but to me, I seemed to drift off when I listened to that; but then I'd realize that I drifted off so I pushed the back button on my CD player to hear it again. Something odd struck me when He started to repeat himself from previous albums; which was really eh, not that great of a thing to do, and the audience seemed to notice it too; not as many chuckles as when he first said it.
The audience at first (when Lew started up on his political hate) didn't seem to understand it, which was kind of funny in a weird way, then Lew flipped out and started to talk about other 'common' things; that got them laughing. But he eventually got on track with it.
4 Stars seems to be the best I could give it. It could have easily been better. As I've said before, the sound quality put more effort on the audience then on good ol' Lew. He repeats himself, which is also not a redeeming quality. I'd recommend getting it, after all, it's Lewis Black, and he is funny; just don't expect this CD to be the best he's ever made.
Free Music Review: Not quite his funniest, but still very much worth it!
Hit: 4 Stars
Lewis Black is the king of the new age of irate comedians, in the same vein as George Carlin and Denis Leary. His humor often rips on the weather (namely the Weather Channel), Republicans and Democrats alike, and the inane nature of humanity. Just like his predecessors, he has a habit of finding the unifying link that brings his humor close to home and uses the same 'ticked off' route that has brought him vast amounts of fame and well deserved at that.Instead of recycling old jokes, he uses the old themes in a new way. He spends a good deal of time on the weather again, as one might expect, but also incorporates the settling of Minnesota in the process! It's quite clever and well done.
My only complaint is that he seems to get a bit too philosophical later in the album, not nearly as funny with his witticisms. Instead, he uses it as a platform to try to help us see things a different way. It's well done and he makes very valid arguments, but it tends to take away from the point of the comedian, which primarily is to entertain. All in all, though, he's still quite hilarious.
The audio quality is superb; it really sounds like your in a club or improv and he's on stage in front of you. The producers and engineers did a great job on the sound and it shows when you give it a listen.
Overall, definitely worth the pickup, but don't forget to include "The White Album" and "The End of the Universe" while you're shopping!
Free Music Review: Pretty Funny...
Hit: 4 Stars
Lewis Black strikes again! His latest CD "Rules or Enragement" is filled with his latest rantings about the war in Iraq, Minnesota, Ireland, and American government. Most of the time, he hits close to home with funny/angry observations. There are however, a few slower moments in the CD. Like when he speaks about government, he does so for a little too long. Also, there is an almost certainity that this CD (along with his previous 2) will become dated. It's a sad stigma for all topical comics. His takes on Cheney and G.W. Bush might lose their meaning and humor in about 5 or 6 years. However, the moments when he shines on this CD definitely make up for this. If you're a fan of Lewis' work, this is truly a CD you should own. I highly recommend it.Free Music Review: Where Lewis becomes more political
Hit: 4 Stars
Lewis Black's third album, Rules of Enragement, is his first release where his material really became more political. Keeping with tradition, Lewis starts out his show by busting on the city he's performing in. This time around he busts on Minnesota and his bit on their cold weather is hysterical. As usual, he's spot on when it comes to tackling issues like greed in big business and society's obsession with health. In particular, his commentary on milk and water are very funny. However, the end of the album is dominated by his views on Iraq. While his commentary is accurate, it does tend to drag at times. All told, Rules of Enragement is a very good album even if it tends to be too political near the end.