There's something fitting about the fact that the latest album from comic musician Kacey Jones is called Donald Trump's Hair, probably because it's a reference that feels about five years too late. That's true of the whole album, which features 13 songs that seem more like relics from an early '80s variety show than contemporary comedy. I could see a song like "I Can Always Get Skinny But You'll Never Be Tall" being performed on Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters or Hee Haw. Maybe that's exactly the kind of comedy Jones is going for.
I've said before that an album of musical comedy is a tough thing to pull off, because so much musical comedy depends on audience interaction and novelty. I've got to give credit to Kacey Jones, then, for making an album that at least musically stands up to repeat listens. She and her band have crafted real songs, not just joke holders, so it's possible to revisit the album just because you like the music. But, because this is a comedy site and my function is to review comedy, I also have to say that I wish Jones was as talented a joke writer as she is a musician. The comic material on Donald Trump's Hair feels obvious and stale.
A Lack of Surprises
Take the title track of the album, "Donald Trump's Hair." I'm not sure the Donald's bad combover is still a relevant source of comedy; we as a society seem to have already come to the conclusion that it is laughable, and any comic potential on the subject has been mined over and over again. Add to that the fact that lyrics contain lines about "finding Jimmy Hoffa" in Trump's hair and you've got a pretty good idea of just how obvious a lot of the album's humor is.
Other tracks follow suit. From "Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers' Face?" to "The Bigger the Better," you can pretty much tell what the jokes will be in each song just by reading the title. There aren't many surprises to be found on Donald Trump's Hair. Jones is clearly targeting a specific demographic; the songs are geared towards a kind of sick-of-men, happy-with-my-flaws woman who might enjoy singing along at a bar. But even this brand of female empowerment is a little cheap and obvious. Enough straight country stars (those that aren't branded as comedy) have done these kinds of songs better, making something like Donald Trump's Hair unnecessary.
- Album Release Date: May 19, 2009
- Label: IGO Records
