Word: friedmanism
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...doubters, Friedman's first album, Sold American (1973) proved that he was both authentically country and authentically Jewish. It amply demonstrated his ludicrous comic talents, in addition to his considerable musical abilities. Humor is almost impossible to find in country music, and musical talent comparable to Friedman's is only slightly less rare. Those characteristics immediately distinguished Friedman from the general run of country artists, and his first album raised him a notch higher still. Sold American was a unique montage, mixing outrageous humorous songs with serious, sensitive ballads, plus a number. "Ride 'Em Jewboy," that despite its flippant title...
...Friedman's second album, two years in production, was impatiently awaited by those who admire him, and some disappointment is probably unavoidable. It would perhaps be unfair to expect him to equal his first performance, which achieved a level few country artists reach in decades of trying. But even allowing for overly inflated expectations, Kinky Friedman is a disappointing effort...
...FAILINGS lie not in performance or technical problems, as in many country records, but in the material itself. As in Sold America, Friedman wrote most of the songs, and his true abilities show up here and there. "Rapid City, South Dakota," a disquieting narrative about a teenage boy who abandons his family and his pregnant girl friend in search of nothing better, has more serious value then almost anything Friedman has done. Flashes of his bizarre humor also appear occasionally, as in "Before All Hell Breaks Loose," an ode to the Apocalypse...
...most part, though, Friedman's attempts at humor, outrageously funny in his first album, here are less outrageous and much less funny, usually degenerating into clumsy tastelessness or aimless wisecracking. His glorification of Jewish machismo, "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore," is embarrassingly sophomoric. "Somethin's Wrong With the Beaver," a eulogy to Jerry Mathers--supposedly killed in Victnam, actually alive and working as a bank teller in California--wavers between pathos and satire, finally achieving neither. Most of the other songs are simply incoherent or pointless. Where Sold American was absurdly satirical or emotionally poignant this album...
...APART FROM the deficiencies of the material, especially the lyrics, Kinky Friedman glistens technically and musically. The arrangements are complex and calculatedly anarchic, an improvement over the straightforward but unchallenging arrangements of the first album. Friedman has introduced an extensive and highly skilled use of horns and strings, combining them with excellent background vocals. His band, which includes such colorful figures as Snakebite Jacobs, Panama Red, and Little Jewford Shelby, is a model of easy precision and subtlety, rivalling the best in country music. It deserves most of the credit for any value the album has. But the technical proficiency...