AMG Review of Simpsons: Testify

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

The Simpsons: Testify is the third collection of original songs and music from the television series, covering music heard on the series' tenth through 18th seasons. It takes its title from a gospel number from the 2000 episode "Faith Off," and there are a few other church-inspired numbers, including the Christian country-rock jibe "He's the Man" with Shawn Colvin on vocals, but this is hardly a theme collection. Like any average episode of #The Simpsons, Testify hops all over the place, flitting from style to style, all illustrating composer/conductor Alf Clausen's uncanny ability to simultaneously pay homage and parody. If there are no outright classics along the lines of "Monorail" here, there's a bunch to enjoy, including the Sinatra swipe "Jellyfish," the medley "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders," and "They'll Never Stop the Simpsons," a sly parody of "We Didn't Start the Fire." Also, there are several big-name cameos here -- Los Lobos doing the end credits, Weird Al singing the "Jack & Diane" parody "Homer & Marge," David Byrne sitting in on "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders," Baha Men doing their one hit as "Who Wants a Haircut," Jackson Browne on "Marjorie," the B-52's on "Glove Slap," Shawn Colvin on "He's the Man," and two Ricky Gervais numbers -- which are merely icing on the cake here, just as they are on the show. When it comes right down to it, Testify is only necessary for hardcore #Simpsons fans, but they will surely find this worth the time.