Adam Norwest’s ‘One of a Kind’

I am going to go ahead and start this review by talking about myself for a second because I am a narcissist. Bare with me. I hate/love a lot of things in my life. For example, I hate/love how much I enjoy stupid romantic comedies (seriously, see Love Actually. It’s a real treat). I love using the phrase “YOLO” in an ironic manner but hate that I’ve done that so much I am now no better then the shitbags who use it seriously. And finally, get ready for this epic segue; I hate/love Adam Norwest.

I love the guy because he’s funny. His new album One of a Kind, which will be released by Rooftop Comedy on Tuesday, July 17, is clever, fast paced and entertaining. However, we’ll get to that later. I hate the man because this is his second comedy album, and he’s only 25. Twenty-five! [Sidenote: I just pressed the shift key while typing "25" to try and make it bigger…I’m 22 years old.] Anyway, who the hell is this funny at 25?! I know people who have been working at this for ten years and don’t even have a solid 20 minutes let alone two separate comedy specials. Well, I suppose the answer is that Adam has been doing comedy professionally since he was 13 years old . What the hell were you doing at 13?

One of a Kind starts out with a self-depreciating bang that sets the tone for a majority of the album. Adam has this ability to combine observational humor with his own self-depreciating twist that makes each joke hilarious and relatable. Everything comes from a place of feeling inadequate whether it is concerning the gym, his parents, or women. This really helps the audience get a sense of a “oh, I’ve been there, and that blows” mentality.

Not to say that the album doesn’t contain an element of ridiculousness, but he transitions between this and relatability smoothly. One minute he’s talking about how no one could take him seriously as a bank robber, and the next, he’s ranting about how stingrays have two penises. It breaks up the album nicely by not dragging the audience or listener through an hour of a guy just shitting all over himself. Also, you can tell that he has a few jokes on there that borderline on obscurity. However, that’s alright because you can tell he enjoys doing them.

For example, he makes a Rick Moranis reference and tags it by saying, “That’s a great joke.” I really like that one. Even though he may loose some of the audience with that reference, you can tell his mental process is along the lines of “I may loose some folks here, but fuck them, I enjoy this.” That’s what makes a good comedy album a great one. You can have solid material, but if you’re not enjoying yourself, then what’s the point?

The album is filled with non-stop clever laughs, and Adam has an ebb and flow to his material that really works for him. At the end of the day I enjoyed this album, not only because it’s hilarious, but because the listener can tell that he’s enjoying what’s happening.  I like a stand up comic who passion for his or her craft permeates throughout their set. I recommend downloading this album and am looking forward to see how Norwest progresses with age.

One of a Kind can be purchased on July 17 through Rooftopcomedy.Com, iTunes,  and Amazon.Com. You can follow Adam on Twitter @adamnorwest, www.facebook.com/adamnorwest, or his website www.adamnorwest.com.

Visit our AmericasComedy.Com Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter @AmericasComedy!

Read More Comedy Reviews Here!

Related posts: