For the record, recorded jokes work.
Comedy CDs tend to get a bad rep among comedy fans. You don't get the same atmosphere as a live gig; you miss the visual cues that aid certain gags; and who wants to hear the same jokes over and over?
Well, me. Listening to a good comedy CD is like curling up with a favourite book from your childhood, or rewatching the same three episodes of Friends that get repeated on E4 every night (we all have our guilty pleasures).
Aside from the joy of familiarity and the bonus of hearing jokes without straining over a drunken punter's hyena laugh, comedy CDs allow you to pick up on jokes that you may miss on the first listening. It's for this last reason that James Sherwood At The Piano is particularly brilliant.
Recorded live the Canal Cafe Theatre, James Sherwood's latest CD perfectly shows off the musical wordsmith’s love of language. Through puns, pedantry, and a smattering of catchy tunes, Sherwood presents traditional themes with quirky twists. Love and lust corrupt absolutely; intellectual superiority is acceptable; and Tesco is a great place to pull on a Friday night.
‘Anyone’, a tune about rejection, is the toe-tapping highlight of the album. The chorus is a brainworm that will, at best, leave you humming all day; at worst, tempt you to stand at the bar waiting to get hit on so that you can reject some poor sod with an extravagant song and dance routine.
There's a good balance of songs and stand-up that allows Sherwood to show off his intelligent brand of humour. Those who are fans of his topical material will not be disappointed, yet there's little risk of the material dating as Sherwood mocks the ‘timeless’ national anthem rather than current political issues.
Most of the songs have a fairly generic Vegas-lounge sound, but the simplicity of a few basic piano chords is the perfect accompaniment to the wordy lyrics. With the current surge of full-band comedy (and even Tim Minchin roping in an entire orchestra) it’s nice to return to a stripped back style.
Click here to buy James Sherwood At The Piano
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