Weird Al Yankovic - Poodle Hat

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Free Music Notes for Poodle Hat

Free Music Review: More than worthy followup to "Running With Scissors"
Hit: 5 Stars

"Poodle Hat," however, gives serious competition for that title. It's obvious that Al hasn't spent the last four years doing nothing. "Poodle Hat" is easily on the same level as "Running With Scissors," albeit different. The opening track, the Eminem parody "Couch Potato," showcases Al's surprisingly good rapping skills. It's extremely creatively written, with great lyrics and VERY up-to-date references. The original song "Hardware Store" follows, an entertaining little number with great lyrics and an absolutely insane bridge section featuring fast singing that makes some of the fast tunes from "Scissors" seem laid-back in comparison. Next comes "Trash Day," a Nelly parody. I've never been a fan of Nelly at all, but this song is very funny and a spot-on parody of "Hot In Here." Up next is the odd "Party At The Leper Colony," another original. Not quite as memorable as the other originals on the CD, it's still a good tune, and has entertaining, kinda gross lyrics. The required polka medley, "Angry White Boy Polka," comes next. Featuring polka-ized songs by such bands as Staind, Kid Rock, and Eminem, I have to admit I prefer "Polka Power" from "Scissors" over this tune, mainly because I only really recognized one or two songs from this medley. This is not a reflection on the quality of "Angry White Boy Polka," not at all. It's very well done and entertaining. If I recognized the songs I'd rank it equal with the previous medley. Next comes "Wanna B Ur Lover," a truly bizarre and hilarious Weird Al love song (no, you didn't misread that). You really have to hear this one to believe it - a classic, and LONG, but a good long. Then we have "A Complicated Song," a parody of "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne. One of Al's best parodies ever, it's extremely funny and creatively written, with three totally random themes, one for each verse. Follow this up with "Why Does This Always Happen To Me," another original tune. Featuring the capable piano skills of Ben Folds, this tune is really quite funny and clever, with some truly edgy, even disturbing lyrics. "Ode To A Superhero," the story of Spider Man set to Billy Joel's "Piano Man," comes next. Another classic parody, and probably the best synopsis of the Spider Man movie you could find. You have to be familiar with the basics of Spider Man to get it, but it's still a great tune (I'm no real Spider Man fan and I got the whole thing, so you don't have to be some uber-fan to understand it). Next, we have "Bob." This is perhaps the most bizarre thing Al has done in years, if not ever. It's a tribute to Bob Dylan, with Al performing in a very good Bob Dylan vocal & musical style, and it's written entirely out of anagrams. It's a truly weird little song, and I LOVE it. Creative beyond imagination, funny, and a genuinely good tribute to Bob Dylan - Al's Dylan voice is hilarious and as close as you could ever get without actually being Bob Dylan. A classic. "Ebay" is next, a parody of the Backstreet Boys. "Ebay" is another of Al's best parodies of all time, with hilarious lyrics that ring VERY true if you've ever spent time on eBay. I wouldn't be surprised if every single thing Al sings about in that song were really found on eBay. The ending is hilarious and brilliant as well. Finally, we have the nearly nine-minute "Genius In France," Al's truly GENIUS tribute to Frank Zappa, even featuring a guitar solo by Dweezil Zappa. It's a bizarrely funny song, musically complex, and is a great way to close out the album. Some may not like it for being so hard on the French, but I love it.

Overall, "Poodle Hat" shows Weird Al completely capable of sustaining the energy and creativity that made "Running With Scissors" so great. The production quality is great, very full-sounding. The lyrics are always creative and funny, the parodies are spot-on, and the originals are great. "Poodle Hat" is a classic, full of everything that makes Weird Al great, and showcasing an edgy quality that I love. To use my Beach Boys analogy, If "Running With Scissors" was Al's "Pet Sounds," then "Poodle Hat" is his "SMiLE." Except that "Poodle Hat" was actually released. So, maybe that's not a great comparison. Wait, Brian Wilson will be touring "SMiLE" in 2004, so it will be out. So there, my comparison works. Whatever the case, "Poodle Hat" is a great album, more creative than 90% of the other stuff coming out this year I'd bet. Buy it and enjoy!

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