Is it a hit, *hit or miss?

Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall by Dan Grote

Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall
Label: DreamWorks Records
Hit, *hit or Miss?:  Hit
Rating: 

Fallon is funny, and as long as you went to college, then half the album isn’t lost on you. 

Saturday Night Live’s only ever YM cover-friendly player completed the cycle of his fame with the recent release of his first comedy album. The Bathroom Wall is a combination of musical numbers recorded in the studio and comedy bits recorded at a live college performance.

This album could have been a disaster if Fallon had chosen to record an extended version of his early Weird Al-lite SNL parodies. Instead, he opted to write five original pieces which run the gamut from country (“Drinking in the Woods”), to CBGB style punk (“Road Rage”). “(I Can’t Play) Basketball)” pretends to be the long-lost fourteenth track to License to Ill, while “Idiot Boyfriend” hits a Prince-ian falsetto not heard since Beck’s “Debra.”

And then there’s the stand-up, where Fallon’s obsession with Troll Dolls and celebrity impressions gets carried away on two separate tracks. Let it be said that while many of Fallon’s impressions, i.e. John Travolta, Nicholas Cage, and Michael Stipe, are disposable, his impressions of Robin Williams, Dave Matthews, and Jerry Seinfeld are priceless.

As for the rest of the album, it’s mostly a series of college life jokes, including bits about tiny ice cube trays, loofa sponges, and the Walk of Shame, saved only by a bit called “Chris Rock was my R.A.”

VERDICT: Fallon is funny, and as long as you went to college, then half the album isn’t lost on you. The original songs are amazingly well-done, though none can match the come-on lines of “Idiot Boyfriend”: “We’ll put on some great DVD’s I picked up. How about, like, something like The Matrix?” That’s hot.

Tracks: Idiot Boyfriend  Basketball, (I Can't Play)  Drinking In The Woods  Road Rage  Snowball  Hope Everyone Enjoyed Homecoming This Year  Troll Doll Celebrities  Dorms, Shower Baskets & The Walk Of Shame  Roommates  Hotplates, Four Digit Numbers & The Little Fridge  Chris Rock Was My RA  Gotta Get A Fake I.D.  Troll Doll Jingles  Hammertime

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