Patton Oswalt – Finest Hour

Patton Oswalt is quickly becoming a juggernaut of stand-up comedy.  A performer for decades, Oswalt’s stand-up didn’t really hit the big scene until he put together the Comedians of Comedy in 2004 with Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, and Zach Galifianakis.  Despite being relatively small names at the time, they were one of the funniest touring groups in recent history.  Finest Hour is his fifth stand-up comedy MP3 album and CD in nine years, and after his last two (Werewolves and Lollipops and My Weakness is Strong) hit number 1 on US Comedy charts it’s clear that he just keeps getting better.

Patton Oswalt likes to mix personal stories and anecdotes with more profound subjects like religion.  He looks at his material from every possible angle and is able to bring each joke to its full potential.  His commentary takes twists and finds comparisons that others comedians couldn’t even imagine, and he’s able to make his material funny to a wide audience.  It’s this process that ensures almost everything he says is unique and original.  He crafts his bits so well and so concisely that he’s even able to turn a very short joke about smart babies and their dirty diapers into comedy gold (track “The Gifted Child”).

At the same time, he has material that will make you think while still being silly.  It’s not as deep and profound as Bill Hicks, but Patton Oswalt makes several observations about religion that are as funny as they are clever, such as dissecting the different superpowers Jesus has in the Bible.  Even theists can find his atheist humor very entertaining.

There are very few duds in this album, and just about every track has gut-busting material.  If you’re a real fan of stand-up comedy, this album is a must buy.

The CD version of Patton Oswalt features one more track, The Horror of New York City, than the comedy MP3 album version.

Finest Hour
Patton Oswalt
Stand-up Comedy MP3 and CD
Comedy Central 2011

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