What The Hell Happened To Me?
If Sandler had shelved about half the material on this bloated 75-minute disc, he would have done the listener a big favor. At times, the relentless, one-note routines actually work. Sandler gets plenty of mileage out of fart after fart on "The Hypnotist." And every time the wise guys on "Respect" mumble that word, the funnier it gets. But too many skits go on forever. Lacking dramatic shape, they just hammer away at worn-out riffs. The five "Excited Southerner" tracks could certainly have been dumped. Sandler and his cowriters apparently think that the excited Southerner's stutter is enough to make these bits funny. Besides the dozen-plus comic routines, the disc contains seven songs, five of which feature full-blown musical productions and L.A. studio musicians. The standout number is "The Chanukah Song," one of two live recordings that feature a solo Sandler accompanying himself on guitar.--Fred Cisterna