Jay Mohr, Lisa Lampanelli, Cenac, CK and Ferguson Nominated for 2016 Comedy Grammy

grammy noms

Congratulations to the five Grammy Nominees for Best Comedy Album this year!  Among the nominees were Lisa Lampanelli and Jay Mohr whose albums we spotlighted earlier this year, as well as Louis C.K., Wyatt Cenac, and Craig Ferguson. Three of the releases were produced by our friends at Comedy Dynamics which continues to be a powerhouse in the industry.

Jay Mohr’s Happy. And a Lot. was written by his wife, Nikki Cox, which may have been a comedy first. Mohr said she wrote the special, and he performed it, and was excited to give her the credit for writing the album which also aired as a Showtime Special. The album is groundbreaking for Jay who is as funny as ever, and through “Happy. And a Lot.” shows that funny doesn’t have to come from misery. Jay takes on topics like similar hates, the ridiculousness of phobias, and deconstructs the idea of something being “so bad its good” plus one of the funniest stories we’ve ever heard, and it involves palliative care marijuana, Las Vegas, and Liberace. The accompanying special, Mohr later revealed was the #1 special on Showtime this year. It was taped at the Lobero Theatre, in Santa Barbara, California. Congratulations to both Mohr and Cox who both deserve full credit for the nomination.

Lisa Lampanelli  Back to the Drawing Board was also new ground for the comic who went through some major life changes prior to recording the album. She bills the album as “brand new body, same old cunt” but nothing is the same for Lampanelli here. Coming off a dramatic weight loss, and an equally remarkable spiritual evolution, she showed up ready to similarly re-invent her stand up career taking it to another level. Her most revealing recording to date, Lampanelli’s latest includes her trademark audience and pop culture insults, but she also turns the critical eye on herself, and doesn’t pull any punches. Lisa talks about her surgery, her divorce, her pussy, everything is coming out. Taped at the Music Hall in Tarrytown New York, the album also aired as a special on EPIX.

Wyatt Cenac Brooklyn was taped, appropriately enough at Brooklyn’s Union Hall, a smaller venue with a lot of personality, which is fitting for this deeply personal album where Cenac talks about Brooklyn, gentrification, and all things both old and new about the borough. The album bears the imprint, “Farm to Table Artisanal Jokes Mouthcrafted by Locally Sourced Comedy Person” which reveals a lot about the album’s content.  The album which was also a Netflix special and a must see for comedy fans.

Just Being Honest, was Craig Ferguson’s first big project since leaving the Late Late Show last December. Craig recorded the album in March at New York City’s Town Hall Theater as part of his ‘Hot and Grumpy Tour,’ and on it you can hear enough familiar monologue type material to make you miss having Craig around every night on television.  But what makes this album stand out is his long and funny stories– quite a few of which center on his travels with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. You can also hear Ferguson tackle religion, sobriety, Kenny G and how to make the best use of melons.

 

During Louis CK’s last appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” he talked about his new album, Live at Madison Square Garden, saying “”I wouldn’t buy it, it’s not very good.”  Well somebody disagrees with him because the new album earned CK his third Grammy Nomination.  The album was a ‘pay what you want’ album, because, he said, some of the material overlapped from his last release, “Live at the Comedy Store.”  But overlap or not, the album represents a comic absolute height of a comedy career- not to say Louis won’t top himself going forward- we fully expect he will.  But this is a man at the top of his game, during a historic multi-night record setting sold out run at Madison Square Garden and it’s no surprise to see the nomination. CK won in 2012 for his album Hilarious.

You’ll be able to see our own picks for Comedy Album of the Year right here on The Interrobang later this month.

The full list of nominees and labels appear below.

Back To The Drawing Board
Lisa Lampanelli
Label: Comedy Dynamics

Brooklyn
Wyatt Cenac
Label: Other Music Recording

Happy. And A Lot.
Jay Mohr
Label: Lolflix Inc.

Just Being Honest
Craig Ferguson
Label: Lionsgate Records

Live At Madison Square Garden
Louis C.K.
Label: Comedy Dynamics

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