Our Review
Care for a little neurosis for the holidays? You know, sometimes you just need to escape the insufferably happy fluff that clogs the sound systems at every neighborhood mall. Sam Brown, a wandering and oh-so-lonely Jew at Christmastime, is a standup comic who delivers the dark seasonal side with The Worst Noel. This quirky novelty album delivers nine minutes of hilarity, so long as you like your humor with a strong dose of jaded perversion.
The CD arrives in a slender cardboard slipcover with poor Brown looking hopelessly depressed on Santa's lap. With only nine minutes of play, The Worst Noel ends before you know it. The five tracks present an excellent mix of deranged drama, and they are uniformly well-crafted and nicely executed. My favorite is Violent Night, the longest cut and an unlikely hommage to domestic violence (in the voice of Cheech Marin, no less). Another bizarre beauty is Single Bars, a twisted variation of Jingle Bells that features women who "put the HO in ho-ho-ho," if you know what I mean.
I have reviewed many hundreds of holiday albums over the years, and precious few have mined the dark comedic side of the season. Sam Brown does just that, and he accomplishes his warped mission in high style. Let Brown be your jolly ol' elf this Christmas; The Worst Noel may actually make your season bright!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)
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From the liner notes:
All songs...
Lyrics by Frank Santopadre/Sam Brown
Traditional arranged by Shark
Sam Brown
The Worst Noel
(EP)
Artist link
Label: Neurotica Dittys/Banks and Churches Music
Length: 9 minutes
Genre: Novelty
Release: 2006
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| The Worst Noel |
| Walk the Malls |
| Singles Bars |
| Violent Night |
| O Little Pill Called Wellbutrin |