Valby Rocks, a comedy album of "dirty" songs, is a difficult to like. Whereas some comedians use a bit of subtlety or at least cleverness when delivering raunchy material,
John Valby just spits it out without adornment on songs like "A/K/A" and "Shut the F**k Up." One imagines that 12-year-olds, drunk college guys, and grown men at bachelor parties would find songs like "Life of a Sperm" and "White Trash Wedding" funny, just because
Valby says things (or sings things) that one shouldn't say.
Valby throws in a generous dose of sexism, just in case he hasn't already offended anyone outside his core audience. The problem is, after
Valby has gone over the PC line 35 times during the first three songs, his material is about as funny as a fifth grader who's just discovered a "bad" word. The art of
Valby Rocks, then, is of a Neanderthal sort, best enjoyed while very tired or under the influence or when attempting to remember -- if one happens to be a male -- what it was like to be ten years old. If
Valby Rocks intends to shock listeners, it does, but perhaps not in the intended manner: listeners will be shocked that some people still find this kind of thing funny. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.