The Eleven Best Comedy Albums of 2020
It’s our seventh annual list of the ten best albums in comedy, and it’s been another huge year for recording albums, even with the clubs closed. Some of the albums had already been recorded, others found ways to create even during the shutdown. But the overall quality of the output is impressive. Thanks to streaming (and the source of income that comes from submitting albums to streaming services), albums are for everybody now, not just young comics. Everyone is recording to create another revenue stream, and there’s so much great audio being released every month. In fact, after a deadlocked panel of judges could not get down to a top ten, we relented and offer a top 11 for 2020.
We tried to keep this category pure so we did not consider any albums that were initially recorded as specials. Everything on our list was created as an album, available for sale as an album, and promoted as an album.
Last year, Rich Vos scored a win for album of the year for When I Saw Hamilton. In 2018 Adam Ferrara won album of the year. In 2017 you gave the award to Joe DeRosa, in 2016 you overwhelmingly picked Rich Vos V as your favorite album of the year, and in 2015, Jay Mohr won for the audio version of his special, Happy and a Lot. In 2014, our first annual album of the year award went to Big Jay Oakerson for the Crowdwork Sessions Vol 1.
Also don’t forget to vote on the best of everything in comedy this year– books, albums, specials, stand up of the year and more! And read all of our 2020 year in comedy coverage here.
On to the top 11! Voting starts December 30.
ADRIENNE IAPALUCCI’S BABY SKELETONS is not out yet, so none of you have heard it, but we have. The good news is, it will be available before voting starts, so hurry up and preorder. Nothing about Baby Skeletons sounds like a debut hour, this album is insanely funny. It’s also dark. Really dark. It’s holy-shit-did-she-just-say-that dark. In Baby Skeletons Iapalucci fearlessly talks about race, body shaming, missing children (how long do you keep looking?), school shootings, immigration, disabilities, abortion, ISIS, cops, and more. If there’s a red flag you can think of, it’s probably somewhere on this album. I don’t care who you are, and how cringy you like your comedy- something in this album will offend you. If for no other reason, buy this album to find out what dick pics and baby pictures have in common. Luckily, you can laugh as loud as you want without fear of being judged. You’re not in the club, nobody is looking at you. Put on your headphones and enjoy the release.
ANDY KINDLER: HENCE THE HUMOR. It’s a stand-up event three decades in the making. Andy Kindler has never released a stand up album, and now after 28 years in the business, finally you can buy yourself some Kindler stand up audio. Kindler is one of the funniest people on the planet and “Hence The Humor” does not disappoint. The undisputed king of self-deprecation; whether he’s roasting his contemporaries or derailing his own train of thought to obsess on some micro-syllable or better yet, the audience reaction, Kindler keeps winding himself up, only to unravel again moments later. The result is a masterclass in subversive stand-up. Kindler’s neurotic Jewish-isms are flawless. It’s laugh till you cry time. Even as Andy is explaining his gestures or instructing himself what not to do while recording an album (“Andy, too visual!” “don’t do your comedy crouch”), you’re already cracking up. The track listings are so uniquely Andy. You will hear “Gesturing Wildly”, “Do the Joke”, and “Back to the Thing”, “And then the Other Thing”, “Where Wasn’t I”, and more. All of these add up to an hour you will play and replay and then share with a friend. Is it all just meta commentary on the last three seconds you just heard? No, there’s much more. You will hear talk about Andy’s Hitler obsession. You will hear about his plan to open a combination comedy club and Mexican restaurant. Puns? Yes! So many puns. Jokes about his own jokes? Of course! Self adulation? Self demolition? Yes! Yes! Yes! By the end of the album you’ll be repeating to yourself in your own head: “too soooooon…..YI?” Exactly.
BONNIE MCFARLANE is a killer across the board in her debut album, BIRD CALLS. She starts strong right from the top, and then the album builds and builds straight through to the end, getting better with every track, every laugh and every call back. Bonnie is one of the funniest writers and performers in the business and although many young comics have tried to imitated her delivery, none can match her joke writing. No one performing today uses misdirection better than Bonnie. Her takes on motherhood, marriage and feminism are as funny as they are unconventional. Actually, the tracks about her marriage are some of the best on this entire list.. Of course it helps when you’re married to Rich Vos, an endless source of material (nuts!?! really!?! nuts!???), but it takes a skilled comedian to translate these stories into huge laughs, and Bonnie crushes it. There’s also a great track on why rough sex, choking in particular, is not something married couples should experiment with. The album has sharp crowd work- and Bonnie’s skills in that area are criminally underrated- call backs, great stories, and jokes, jokes, jokes. The crowd is electric, as they should be. Make sure you add BIRD CALLS to your collection.
Early in the spring, just before the world started to shut down, VIC HENLEY put out a new album (his second) titled HELL IS REAL. And he wasn’t kidding. Two weeks later the world shut down, and in less than a month, Henley suffered a pulmonary embolism. He did not survive. The loss was absolutely devastating to friends, family and fans. We were crushed to hear the news. Vic’s passing cut short a phenomenal stand up career- touring with comedy greats like Kathleen Madigan and Ron White. We also lost a great voice in radio; Henley was a regular on the Opie Radio podcast and before that the OpieRadio SiriusXM show. So this album is particularly special, as it was Vic’s last comedic gift to all of us, and it is one of the best releases of 2020. The album is sublime, replete with evidence of Henley’s ability to talk about anything and everything, and make it hilarious. He breezes through 53 minutes of material, with hilarious takes on college football, the c-word, Donald Trump’s new walk on music, an an explanation for why Chick-Fil-A is so tasty. There’s also great call backs, long diversions that never lose their way, wicked quick crowd work, and early on Vic makes short work of a chatty audience member. Vic’s love of life, music, film, culture, food and everything under the sun made him a fascinating person to talk to, and a furiously funny comedian. Anyone who loves comedy needs Hell is Real in their collection.
DAN PERLMAN is the quiet killer in his debut album, EMERGENCY CONTACT. Every joke lands in this album, and Perlman’s somewhat pessimistic point of view (he thinks he’s an optimist, making his more pragmatic view of the world that much funnier) provides for laugh after laugh after laugh. Perlman has some great, if somewhat unorthodox thoughts for how to live your best life in 2020. His ideas for how to improve his mother’s dating life, and how kids should be named are oddly practical in addition to being really really funny. Dan’s outlook on friendship and dating, and unconditional love are nothing like yours, or if they are, you would never admit it out loud. But do they make sense in a fucked up way? Absolutely. Dan also shares some of hilarious stories about his life experiences like past jobs, (kindergarten teacher, and a greeter at the 9-11 museum), calls to the suicide hotline, and seasonal depression. The writing is great, the point of view is spot on, and Perlman’s grounded demeanor is a perfect match for his sardonic sense of humor. Dan’s got sarcasm perfected. His laid back rhythms come from the confidence of someone who has put the time and the work in, and knows he’s nailed it.
DWAYNE KENNEDY’S debut LP WHO THE HELL IS DWAYNE KENNEDY is timely, timeless and very funny. When you have incredible talents like W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu backing your album you better bring heat, and Kennedy does. The album was recorded live at The Punchline in San Francisco with an intro by Bell. Dwayne doesn’t spend too much time on any one topic, he is covering a wide range of issues across the album. He takes on the term “people of color” and figures out why serial killers are more likely to be white than black. He’s also got great ideas on how to handle a range of situations including wiretaps, being broke in NYC, and winning the powerball. Kennedy’s look at the future provides some of the biggest laughs on the album, reminding us all why we shouldn’t be in such a rush to get new tech. But despite the quick takes, Kennedy’s perspective runs deep, provoking laughter and thought on social and world issues. With stories, hilarious characters, and great takes on the world around us, Dwayne’s album is one of the year’s best. If you don’t know who Kennedy is, this album is the perfect intro. Comedians love him (his album got raves from W. Kamau Bell, Sarah Silverman, and Baron Vaughn for starters), in part because he’s a phenomenal storyteller, and a consummate performer. But mostly because he’s very funny.
SARAH TOLLEMACHE is a terrific writer and her new album, VOLUPTUOUS BOY makes that clear. Recorded at New York Comedy club just days before COVID shut down all of our comedy clubs, Sarah talks about all of her concerns and problems– and there are many. Avocados are high on her list of worries. Maybe not as high on the list as debt, the challenges of living in New York City, and her fear of being murdered, but they’re up there. Tollemache has a knack for pointing out the obvious in her life, but it’s only obvious in retrospect. You didn’t think of any of these unique comedic premises, and she did. But now that she’s brought it up– why would you need a smoke detector in a studio apartment? Masturbating is obviously just another way to cry. She nails the real difference between Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks in a sentence. Sarah’s also got the 411 on eating ass, full bush, and the sexual gratification move that involves your ears. She is sexy and funny even when she’s talking about chin hairs and other of life’s less attractive happenings. We love Voluptous Boy, and you will too.
MYQ KAPLAN’S album A.K.A. started out as critically acclaimed show at Edinburgh Fringe, and that should tell you quite a bit about the album you’re in for. This isn’t just a bunch of great material gathered for recording. A.K.A. is a well written, carefully constructed somewhat weird journey through life’s challenges like love, death, and bathrooms, religion, politics, and Nickelback. Spiritual and metaphysical at times but also silly and childish, Kaplan has created something truly unique and original. The 17-track comedy album is about truth, love, and not murdering, guaranteed to appeal to all the not-murdering enthusiasts out there. Kaplan has built a rollercoaster who’s blueprints look impossible to build, and yet he’s done it. And there is a tone of positivity to the album that will be appreciated by many at this particular time. There are nuances and shades of light everywhere. And there’s also some darker humor that’s filtered through light. There are even dick jokes, and bathroom humor, but written with purpose- its all part of the journey here. A.K.A. is terribly smart, and you will have to pay close attention but the payoff is worth it. AKA is not like anything else released this year, congratulations to Myq on weaving it all together.
NORE DAVIS wrote and recorded LIVE FROM THE COMEDY TRAP HOUSE on Zoom, just a week after George Floyd was murdered. He covers everything 2020 from trans rights to Black Lives Matter and the COVID related lock-down. This new hour of comedy was written and recorded on May 29, 2020 on Zoom, so it already sounds different from any other album you’ve bought. The Comedy Trap House is a recurring Zoom stand-up show founded by Davis at the onset of the pandemic lock-down. And Live From the Comedy Trap House is a record of these bizarre times. Davis powerful stage presence translates through zoom, and that’s not easy. Nore explains why you need to be paying close attention to your Asian friends, points out the newest variety of Nerd, and schools us all on the economics of credit. Great news, you DO have money! Well some of you do. Davis dedicates his album to the 100k people who died from Covid at the time of the taping, and all the beautiful black people who died and deserve justice. And he’d like to apologize to murder hornets for giving them such a shitty name. It’s a 2020 time capsule that will only become more valuable as time goes by. Davis’s style blends observational and anecdotal humor as he takes ordinary situations and transforms them into personal, relatable stories. His album has already garnered love and acclaim from NPR and the New York Times, and you can add us to that list.
CARMEN LYNCH recorded her newest hour in Bloomington Indiana, she’s a regular at the best comedy clubs in New York, she kills in Spain and at festivals like Eidenburgh. Carmen is a total package, and exudes the kind of confidence that allows her to take her comedy to some dark places. If the audience doesn’t follow her, she can handle that too. Carmen says she’s not judging, but yeah, she is. She’s judging her friend who saved her baby’s placenta, and her adorable nieces who text using English that somehow incorporates Yoda and Shakespearean phrasings. And she happily shares her own dilemmas and decisions, like her uncomfortable dealings with her wheelchair bound landlord, the bizarrely difficult path to getting rid of a mattress, and one of the best reasons to get a flu shot. Carmen’s at her best when talking about how she connects with kids (nieces, nephews, and her boyfriend’s son) and it’s not necessarily behavior to model- but its hilarious every time.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Mike Cannon has become one of New York’s beloved young up and comers. His two album taping shows at the Village Underground sold out, and you can practically feel the excitement of this crowd right through your headphones. LIFE BEGINS is an album that was also filmed, and released with some pretty cool extras that were filmed mockumentary style with interviews and cameos from some of New York’s best comics. This is a transition album for Mike– a concept album all about new chapters, being a father, being an adult, and growing into a new phase of his career, where he’s no longer the new young kid, but a legitimate part of the scene. He’s only 34 but has a perspective on the world like someone far older and wearier, and it’s hilarious. To be burnt in your 30’s while you’re still navigating your way through hardcore boozy weekends is phenomenally funny. Cannon talks about the violent shove into adulthood that father hood is, the difficulties of living in New York City, dealing with dad issues and more. His stories about his mistakes and bad judgement, and the bad advice he’s received along the way are hilarious at every turn. Cannon’s take on when Life Begins, the track which gave the album its title, is an album highlight, and so his Mike’s closing story about his trip to the Middle East to perform for the troops.
