A Review of Mock 'n' Roll --- Paul Aldrich

Who’s Paul Aldrich?” my teens asked as I popped the CD in the car player. “Not sure,” I answered. “He’s a Christian comedian. Let’s check it out.” “Are you ready to rock?” Paul Aldrich baits his live audience to begin the Mock ‘n’ Roll CD? “All right, go ahead,” he jests. It’s a cute quip that gets repeated several times during this award-winning performance.

What we weren’t prepared for was just how funny this guy is. Comedy is a strange beast. What parents find hilarious may not rock your teens’ world and vica versa. Plus, there’s that “I guess you had to be there” phenomena. A comedic live performance doesn’t always translate to a CD/DVD. Perhaps the truest ‘laugh meter’ test is whether you want to listen to the performance more than once. Do the laughs get old after a few plays or do they get louder? You could skip to the end of the review to get our "Final Answer." But, then you’d miss the in-depth analysis.

Turns out Paul Aldrich is a musical impressionist. Think Rich Little meets “Weird Al” Yankovic. Clever lyrical parodies are bolstered by Aldrich's ability to mimic the pop stars. One of the funniest bits is Paul performing TV theme songs as done by famous rockers.

Imagine Jimi Hendrix singing the Green Acres theme, Bono of U2 crooning about the Brady Bunch, or Roy Orbison warbling “Meet the Flinstones.” Very funny, as is Aldrich’s rock stars doing commercials segment (Jagger for Liposuction and Clapton for Rogaine anyone?!). Musical phases Aldrich went through (including Tom Petty, Michael Jackson, Adam Sandler, and Britney Spears) is also quite entertaining.

Every song demonstrates Paul Aldrich's talented guitar work. My personal favorite is a story using TV theme songs strummed on the guitar to enhance the plot (no singing this time). It’s hilarious. Parodies of hit songs include “Stairway to 7 Eleven” to Zeppelin's “Stairway to Heaven”and “Therapy” sung to the Beatles’ “Yesterday”. “The Mouse from Disneyland” parodies “The House of the Rising Sun.” And, “New Age California” remakes the Eagles’ “Hotel California.”

Aldrich has some great original tunes in addition to his parodies. Our favorite has to be “A Dyslexic Love Song” where Aldrich croons a tale of romance – backwards.

We’ve listened to Mock ‘n’ Roll so much that now we’re delivering the lines before Paul Aldrich does. You have to be at least thirteen, I think, to really get the humor, identify the songs, and appreciate the implied. My teens had to explain to me who Slim Shady was. And, I buttoned down "G-L-O-R-I-A" and "My Sharona".

While many Mock ‘n’ Roll moments are light, there is an underlying Christian message to every song. "It seemed like a Good Idea at the Time" describes many of the stupid things people do. Paul then gives a short testimony describing God's ability to transform our bad choices into something beautiful. This Aldrich immediately follows with the simple and yet thought-provoking “Altar Me.”

What did we think of Paul Aldrich’s Mock ‘n’ Roll CD? Our answer can be summed up with a question. Are you ready to laugh? Go ahead. You definitely will!

Disclaimer: This CD was provided free of charge from Mind and Media in exchange for my honest review. If you are interested in reviewing Christian products, please contact Stacy Harp at Mind and Media.

Do you like Christian parody? Linda's Music Reviews has tons of suggestions for more great titles in many Christian music categories, including parody.

There are also lots more laughs on my Family Funnies page.


Until we meet in the teachers' lounge again,

Linda W. Kelley

www.Christian-Parenting-Source.com