The Ten Best Comedy Albums of 2023
It’s our TENTH annual list of the ten best stand up albums in comedy, it might be our last. As it becomes easier to self produce specials, more comedians are skipping the album recording process and just filming the hour, and releasing it as a special with an accompanying album. The concept of a pure album release is disappearing, and albums are a collection of tracks that aren’t even connected. But you can still listen to great comedy, you just have to get the audio version of the special. But this year, we’re still listening to albums, and still giving out the top ten.
Last year, Jen Kirkman won best comedy album for OK Gen-X. In 2021, the best album award went to James Mattern for The Check Spot. In 2020, Bonnie McFarlane won for her album Bird Calls. In 2019, 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 In 2014, and our first annual album of the year award went to Big Jay Oakerson.
Don’t forget you can also vote now for. Comedy Movie of the Year! Vote for Comedy TV Series of the Year! Vote for Comedy Special of the Year! Vote for Best Comedy Book of the Year!
And soon you can vote for Comedian of the Year!
On to the top 10! Voting is open now!
PAUL MORRISSEY. ICE CREAM VS EVERYTHING. Paul did this album the good ole fashioned way. Ice Cream vs Everything was designed, recorded and released as a pure audio product, and its a great one. Recorded at the National Comedy Center, in Jamestown New York, Paul’s made some history because he’s the first to do that, practically guaranteeing himself a spot in the museum archives. Paul’s album may be titled ice cream vs everything, but there’s a lot of soup talk here too. Plus the hilarious coincidence that some old friends showed up for the taping, and one of them happened to be a friend who was the subject of a story he told on stage. It’s a hilarious story about Larry the Irish Bus Driver, and a great addition to the album. Released via Blonde Medicine.
Tracks:On Spelling, Math & PE, Not a Big Runner, I Love Upstate NY (most of the time), Scooter Drama and Floaters, Addressing Married People in the Room, Keep it Haaaawwwd, Taking Care of Body and Face, International Ice Cream Debates, Pro Ice Cream /Anti Soup, Jealous of the Beard, Not a Big Jewelry Person, Greatest Store Ever, Getting to the Bottom of Food Stuff, Hauntings at the Hotels, Career Advice, Ode to Larry the Irish Bus Driver, Picky Eater, Bad Football and Lazy Baseball, Bright Side of Mental Illness, How Many People Have Good Tattoos, Late Night Person
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BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT. SOLDIER FOR CHRIST. Bobcat Goldthwait is a true artist, and his album reflects all the reasons we love Bob and everything he does. Bob is the most unique cat out there, with at least two completely separate careers to speak of. But the through line in the old bob, new bob arc is that Bob does what he wants to do and doesn’t let others tell him who he is or who he should be. If you like brazen, ballsy risk takers, who are brilliant and funny, but you’re sick of douchebags hiding behind the term “edgy”, Bob’s your guy. If you like really smart hilarious comedians who give a fuck about right and wrong, you’ll love this album. Recorded live at The Lincoln Lodge in Chicago, and released via Pretty Good Friends, Bobcat Goldthwait’s Soldier for Christ covers a lot of ground, including some hilarious insights into the Trump supporter mentality, and commentary on social media culture. Bobcat shares personal stories, like the weird things that happen when your name is Bobcat Goldthwait (like that time his nine year old daughter hilariously asked him if she could change her name to clit licker jones) and what its like when people want to share their impressions of your old 80’s personality while you’re getting an MRI. And all that’s just in the first ten minutes. There’s viagra stories, smoking cigars in high school, graveyard stories, stories about dying, aliens, and how cowboy hats can cause misunderstandings. He talks about working with Nickelback, Nirvana, Robin Williams and even Grover. This album will make you laugh till you cry and its so good you’ll want to savor it.
Tracks: Hello, Old Bob Behavior, My Name is Robert Goldthwait, Balloon on a Grave, Cigars, Nuns & Viagra, Cowboy Colonoscopy, Fuck These Guys, UFOs, Opening For Nirvana, Don’t Repeat This Story, Fuck You, AARP, Check Your Oil, Nickelback’s Manager is a Dick, I Met Grover, My Big Brother, Robin and I, DO THE VOICE, Swimming Towards the Shark BONUS: Intro 00:17, BONUS: I’m in Love With a Duck 02:01, BONUS: The Vigilante Nun 02:22
BOB THE DRAG QUEEN. WOKE MAN IN A DRESS. Bob the Drag Queen is a fabulous podcaster, musician, a beloved television personality, drag personality, and an all around artist known for his appearances on countless television shows including RuPaul’s drag race. He’s also hilarious, incredibly poignant and a great storyteller. In his latest release, recorded at the legendary Comedy on State in Madison Wisconsin, he shares his experiences as a black and queer man growing up in the south, talks about religion, why we need lesbians, stupid laws, karens, and much more. Do yourself a favor and get to know Bob.
Tracks: Smell the Dairy Air, One Whole Twink Ago, I Love to Bundle Up, You Don’t Even Know What You Don’t Even Know, Do Not Embarrass Yourself, A 2000 Year Old Charcuterie Board, Stop Being Mean to Lesbians, Jebediah Peddigrew, Age, Sex, Location, I Told You Not to Embarrass Yourself.
GREG PROOPS. FRENCH DRUG DEAL. From A Special Thing Records, comes Greg’s second album in two years and his tenth overall. Last year he made it on this list with an all improv album, but this year, he went old school with a more traditional pro set. Greg Proops is not only an established headlining stand up comedians, he’s also an actor, voice artist, writer, author, podcast host and television host. He covers minutiae as well bigger cultural issues, includes plenty of storytelling and throws in some great impressions to boot. Proops is a consummate performer and thats why he can pull off an extended bit about Australian bats. Recorded live at The Punch Line in San Francisco on New Years Eve, French Drug Deal is a good time.
Tracks: White People History, Evolution Is a Drag, Fruit Bat, Honduran Champagne, Cockatoo, Every Chicken Matters, Southwest, French Drug Deal, Making White People Happy, The View, King Charles, Kamala
MARIA BAMFORD. CROWD PLEASER. From Comedy Dynamics, Maria Bamford’s newest album was recorded in Chicago. Touching on some of the themes covered in her new book, she opens the album exploring her need for acceptance, and searching for it in cult-like places, like religion and recovery. That may not sound funny, but it is. We all know Maria Bamford could read the phone book on stage and have us all in stitches thanks to her incredible performance skills, vocal abilities, and physicality. But Crowd Pleaser is a top tier album for more reasons than just her vocal gymnastics. It’s also wonderfully insightful and wonderfully delightful. There’s plenty of storytelling, including a must-listen extended track about receiving honors from the Harvard Lampoon and more personal family related material. .
Tracks: Lying to Belong, 12 Step Cults, Keeping Shit to Myself, Anonymous Loud Mouth, Emails I didn’t Read, The Harvard Lampoon, My Mom, Ayahuasca, Treat Yourself, Go Hospice, Suicide Hotline Holdtime, Little Free Libraries, 4 and ½ Star Surgeon, Sugar and White Flour
CHRIS DISTEFANO. CHRISSY NEW YORK COMEDY CLUB. Chris Distefano is becoming a genuine sensation and his new album, Chrissy New York Comedy Club is everything you already love about him. Recorded at New York Comedy Club, the album is available now everywhere you listen to comedy. On this album, Chris explains meeting his daughter’s mother for the first time, and of course that led to living with a Puerto Rican family, which has been pure culture shock for Chrissy chaos and he’s got the stories to back it up. He identifies as a lot of things, white guy, Latino man, Chrissie right down the middles, Hitler head, and he will explain all of that in Chrissy New York Comedy Club. Its pure pandemonium and an absolute blast to listen to.
Tracks: Intro, Too White, It’s Over for White People, How I Met Your Latina Mother, Living with a Puerto Rican Family, Identify as a Latino Man, Whites on Twitter, Ryan from Stupid Idaho, Kill Your Neighbor, Mental Health Portion of the Pandemic, I Live in Hell, Pandy Wandy, The Experts, Gay Guy Interlude, Frank, Johnny, & The Ranch Dip, Am I Gay?, Dad Meet Stephen, Learning How to Wipe, Latina Daughter, GERD, Laughing Again, Fired from Netflix, Chinese, Larry’s Dead, The Garden with Dad
KENNY DEFOREST. DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? Kenny DeForest was a young developing and highly respected comedian before a horrible accident cut his career and his life short earlier this month. Earlier this year, he released his second album, Don’t You Know Who I Am? which centers on his childhood dream of playing in the NBA, his career playing high school basketball, and his path onward and upward to other things. DeForest was well on his way to a promising career, having made all the important lists that young comics aspire to be mentioned in, and hitting all the benchmarks.
You can hear the energy of the crowd as Kenny took the stage at The Gutter in Brooklyn NY. Whether he’s talking about how the bearded man image went from chill white guy to domestic terrorist, Covid road trips, or using the pandemic as a jumping off point to a discussion about bidets, or laughing about how ridiculous homophobia is, Kenny’s takes are always unique and really funny . DeForest’s energy is not judgmental, he’s not lecturing anyone. Every topic is light, fun and funny. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM also gets personal, looking back at his first choice of a profession which was to be a professional basketball player in the NBA. This was a dream which “lasted way longer than it should have” because he grew up in a predominantly white town in Springfield Missouri. Kenny’s career was really hitting its stride, and to see his second dream career cut short is heartbreaking, but we are glad we have DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM to let us all know who Kenny was, and to know that he was well on his way to playing in the majors of his second dream career– comedy.
Distributed by Blonde Medicine, you won’t want to miss “Don’t You Know Who I Am”. While you’re at it pick up his first album, B.A.D. Dreams.
Tracks: Intro, Upgraded To First Class, Plane Flights, Cancelling Flights, Pilots Need More Money, Truckers Need More Money, Subway Drivers Need More Money, People Who Grew Up Without Money, Finding an Apartment, Condos/Doormen, Subway Restaurants, Expensive Restaurants, Nobody Teaches Us About Money, Student Loan Debt/Credit Cards, Bezos and Billionaires, Would You Suck A, We’re Not Going to Mars.
JENNY ZIGRINO. JEN-Z. Jenny Zigrino is not Gen Z, she’s a millennial, but who better than a member of the forgotten generation to dissect those who came before and after her? Boomers won’t die, and Gen Z are getting all the attention, leaving millennials as the perennial middle child. And just when America moved on from Gen X, when millennials should have had their time to shine, TikTok brought about the rise of Gen Z forever eclipsing the millennial moment. And it hasn’t been easy. Everything is harder for millennials- elections, pandemics, terrorism, social media. We can all agree with Jenny that dating in your 30s is a lot less fun than dating in your 20s, hot people suck, and yeah, leg cramps work when some dude tells you he wants you to “call him your god” in bed and that’s best followed by a “vaginal energy cleansing spell.” Recorded at at Littlefield in Brooklyn and released by Blonde Medicine, Jen-Z is one of the years best.
Track Listing: We Did It!, Something Really Special About This Special, Jealous of Gen Z, Bad Opinions, Worse Reasons, Coming of Age, Trying to Cure My Depression, Wrist Action, The Best Roommate, Fat Does Not Equal Ugly, The Gen Z Rainbow Just Do Your Kegels, Hot People Suck, Big in Manchester, NH, He Trusted You, Introducing Ricardo, Guess My Kink, My Mother’s Favorite Joke, Real Stories of Love
DEANNE SMITH. CHIWEENIE IN A TANK TOP. There seems to be an odd notion floating around these days that to be funny you have to be old school, and fight back against progressive notions. DeAnne Smith brings us a new album that disproves all of that crap. Recorded live at the Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, OR, Smith dives into the issues of gender identity and pronouns through the lens of their own life and experiences, as well as other topics like meeting Jon Hamm, and the death penalty. DeAnne is a great comic, maybe best known for a super viral video “Straight Men, Step Your Game Up” with over 46 million views. Only a handful of stand up comedians have achieved numbers like that. Always unconventional, (DeAnne has been their own opening act lately), Smith lives at the intersection of sharp and silly. The new album covers both effortlessly. The title, refers to a mixbreed dog- Miniature Dachshund and the Chihuahua- which when waring a sleeveless top, encapsulates one of the many phrases they finds acceptable to describe their gender. The moral of the story is that yes, (gasp!) you can be funny even while being inclusive.
Tracks: Feminist Ads, Rescue Dog Documentary, We’re All Fags, Astronomical Insecurity, I’m Aging, Jon Hamm, Chiweenie In A Tank Top, Get It, Lucky Lady Lounge, Bonus Meltdown
LIZ BARRETT. GETTIN BY. Liz Barrett is dry. And if you enjoy dry deadpan comedy, this album is a killer. The opening line tells you everything “I am having a great year, because I have given up.” Liz is done with self improvement, especially the bullshit self improvement cycle that corporate America tries to sell us. That’s right, “skinny people die too.” If you are also tired of being preached to by people who want your money, GETTIN BY will be your new mantra. GETTIN BY is for everyone who is tired of trying to keep up with the eager improvers of the world. You’re tired of salads, seltzer, and worrying about cholesterol. Released exclusively on SiriusXM with a wide release soon after from From Pinch Records, GETTIN BY also covers Reality TV, newlyweds and marriage, the miracle of vodka gummy bears and weird strip clubs. Find yourself a fat doctor, order a pizza, mix a cocktail and enjoy the holidays this year with LIZ BARRETT.
Tracks: Intro, Giving Up, Handful of Nuts, Fat Doctor, Salad…So Much Chewing, Chickpea Chili, Hummus at a Party, Sober Joe, ‘What They Don’t Tell You About Marriage, Newlyweds Are Cute, Marriage Is Everyday, Husbands and Reality T.V., Lazy Cleaning, Annual Casserole, Sports Bra and Knee Brace, Weird Strip Clubs, Holidays With the In-Laws, Bras Are Coming Off
