Karaoke Godfathers Review

KARAOKE GODFATHERS
Suburban All-Stars
1993-2003
Independent


Writing about the Suburban All-Stars was not how I expected to use this week's album review as I downloaded Karaoke Godfathers on Monday. Then I spent most of the first half of the week listening to the album on repeat. It's lewd, it's dumb, and it's nonsensical, but it's all of those things on purpose. This is the best parody of the 2 Live Crew-style party records white people could ever imagine. Well, so long as you can accept some emphasis on rock and video game backbeats.

Most of the verses are performed by Ulysses S. Pipe (or "U.S.", both aliases for Jeff Gerstmann, video game journalist of Giant Bomb), though there are other performers. The other regulars are Alex Navarro and Ryan Davis, and while their contributions are amusing, it's really U.S. that delivers the best verses. There are other verses from a large number of anonymous friends, but those familiar with Jeff's video game coverage may recognize a few more voices. Some of the anonymous verses are unstoppable, though, including a stand-out on "Pimping in the 707."

Nothing even comes close to the album's sixth track, "Don't Mess (With The U.S.)" The lyrics are super-fun, U.S.'s aggressive tone is spot-on, the guitar riff (based upon Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music") is played with perfect tone, and the beat is a blast. It is also U.S.'s only solo track, though it sounds like one of the hooks may have been performed by Alex Navarro. It's short, varied, and awesome top to bottom. Even beyond the comedy value of the rest of the album, this song is fantastic.

The rest of the album is pretty cool, though. The album has some great party tracks, some really awesome beats, and some great verses. When all three come together, it's a bit embarrassing for some of the real hip-hop artists out there. You can legally download it here for free.

While it's hard to mention in the context of the rest of the review, it's worth noting that the two Uncle Brendan skits are readings from explicit erotic novels. They're funny, but don't blast this album in its entirety during a party.

4/5
HIGHLIGHTS: "In The Can In The Can," "Don't Mess (With The U.S.)," "Wack Ass Crew '99"
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: There are none.
NEXT STOP: Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, The Beastie Boys
AFTER THAT: As Nasty As They Wanna Be, 2 Live Crew