CD: Todd Barry – From Heaven

Albums based around stand-up comedy routines are a tricky thing to get right. Recorded in a studio without the benefit of an audience, they can feel contrived and stuffy with the comic often unaware as to whether the material is working or not. At the other end of the spectrum, if they are recorded in front of a live audience, there’s often a sense that you’re missing out on something visual that the raucous laughter just can’t compensate for. Sometimes the biggest laughs on the CD are caused by elements that are simply not relayed well through your speakers.

Released in the UK to coincide with his recent London dates, Todd Barry’s third live CD, From Heaven, falls into the latter category. Recorded in, of all places, a Chinese restaurant (well, can you think of a better place to record a live comedy CD?), Todd Barry delivers his American deadpan style effortlessly, leading the audience carefully from out-and-out gag to humorous musing like some kind of whimsical Pied Piper. It’s clear from this recording that Todd has spent years perfecting his material and stand up style. His second-perfect timing and handling of the audience is evident in spades, and you find yourself listening to the album with a desire to be in the venue with the audience rather than listening to it from the comfort of home (or your nearest available Tube seat during rush hour).

If this album does one thing, it highlights a gap in the comedy market in the UK. In America, any remotely successful stand-up is be signed up to a minor record label and releases their stand-up material whenever they can, with a hope of getting more coverage and gigs. This was how acts like David Cross, Chris Rock and Bill Hicks got noticed and built a faithful underground fanbase. In Britain though, there is a bizarre and worrying lack of this practice, with often the only way to hear a particular act is by attending a live gig, watching dodgy footage of the stand-up on YouTube or buying a CD taken from the audio of a live DVD (the latter simply exacerbating the problem mentioned above since now you know for sure that there’s something visual you’re patently missing out on). Perhaps it’s time that some labels in the UK woke up and started to look into professionally recording stand-ups in their natural habitat, especially with Edinburgh just around the corner. Until then, I guess we’ll just have to do with Americans like Todd filling up the market. Come to think of it, that’s not such a bad thing after all.

Todd Barry – From Heaven is available now. Click here to buy the CD or click here to visit his website