Normal

AMG Review of Normal

Bill Cassel
All Music Guide

Martin Mull did some hilarious stuff over the years, like Martin Mull and His Fabulous Furniture in Your Living Room and "Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope." Unfortunately, he's not in his best form on this collection of 13 comedic songs, displaying both questionable wit and questionable taste. You can get away with a song like "The Blacks Are Giving Me the Blues" if it's really funny, but it's not quite funny enough. Mull's takes on Middle American fundamentalism ("Jesus Christ Football Star"), trailer-park mentality ("Dialing for Dollars"), and rock stars ("You Play Rhythm") feel like cheap shots at easy targets. His wordplay is always clever and the band does a good job of adapting to the various genres being satirized, but Normal just lacks the spark that characterizes comedy of lasting value.