Voltaire, the American musician and not the French writer, claims his comic music CD Ooky Spooky is a Halloween party in a jewel box. After listening to this very weird and very good collection of funny songs with a macabre sense of humor, I must agree with the artist’s assessment of his CD.
A Halloween party CD is also pretty much all I can come up with to explain what Ooky Spooky is. I am not sure if it is cowpunk with a certain Mexican influence because of the horns and guitar work, especially in Blue Eyed Matador, but there is a bit of Crash Test Dummies meet the Purple People Eater feel to this Voltaire CD. A little surfing suggests Ooky Spooky is comic Goth music but since I am way too old to know what Goth is, I am willing to believe that.
What I do know about Ooky Spooky by Voltaire is it certainly is fun to listen to, the music is very good, the lyrics are darkly funny, and the two put together certainly work. This is especially true for me in Bomb New Jersey which almost starts out as a kiddie song meets South Park’s Blame Canada. I remember Jersey trying to have a contest to get a song for itself like New York has New York New York. I am not sure Bomb New Jersey would have won the judges’ votes but the write-in votes might have pushed this tune over the top.
I must admit though I am not a big fan of Stuck With You featuring The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer. I kind of like the song itself but the violin really gets on my nerves. Then again, this is but one song on an 11 funny song CD.
The weirdest song on this Voltaire CD has to be the closer, Hell in a Handbasket, which shares a few lyrics with Anka’s My Way and has a Baptist church choir meets When The Saints feel. No, really, I am not kidding: My Way, Baptist church choir, and When The Saints.
Whatever you do, go to Amazon and listen to a few samples of Ooky Spooky. It is going to make your day and might even convince you this is one very strange, original, and hard to nail down CD.
Ooky Spooky
Voltaire
Projekt Records 2007
43 minutes
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If you like musical comedy and funny songs, you will like this one.