Reggie Watts: Why S*** So Crazy? - Comedy Album Review

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It can be difficult to distinguish oneself in the comedy world. Yes, there are comics who are better than others and there are comics with voices that are more unique than others, but in a medium that suffers from a lot of sameness, it's a challenge for even the best comics to really stand out. It's not small compliment, then, when I say that there is absolutely no one in comedy that's anything like Reggie Watts.

A musical comedian who creates absurd, improvisational jams often using nothing more than his voice and a digital sequencer to create all of the instruments, Watts is a real original. That originality is on full display on Watts' latest album, Why Shit So Crazy?, available now on Comedy Central Records. Kicking off with the studio cut "Fuck Shit Stack," a hilariously profane parody of foul-mouthed hip-hop songs (and the best track on the record), the album segues into a live show made up of both music and comic interludes before wrapping up with two more studio songs, "Fields of Donegal" and "Butter + Toast." Other highlights include the marijuana-themed piano ballad "Rainbows" and the epic, 15-minute "My History Thus Far."

Here's the thing about Why Shit So Crazy?: Reggie Watts comes off as an insanely talented musician, but the comedic aspects of the record aren't up to the same standard of the musicianship. There's nothing conventional or mainstream about Watts' humor, and the few "joke" bits that exist between the songs are more like anti-jokes, deconstructing comedy in a way that breaks up the music and rounds out the album experience without really adding much.

I get the feeling that Watts is the kind of performer better enjoyed live; even when the material isn't funny (and there are long stretches of Why Shit So Crazy? that are odd and impressive without really being funny), at least in a live situation one would be able to marvel at Watts' musical abilities and the way he juggles so many instruments -- vocal and otherwise -- at once. Those talents come across in the recording, but we miss the immediacy and the spontaneity of hearing Watts compose on the fly. Plus, there are a number of songs that I'm not exactly anxious to hear again, and even those would be better served by the live experience, where it's more about the creating than the creation.

Included with the album is a DVD that includes over an hour of additional Reggie Watts material, including his Comedy Central special and videos for a number of his songs. Once again, Comedy Central Records has put together a great package that includes a lot of added value and showcases the comedian in a variety of media. They do great work with all of their album releases, and Why S*** So Crazy? is no exception.