Bill Engvall Albums (8)
'Aged and Confused'
Release Date 10/6/2009
Tracks 11
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
On blue collar comedian Bill Engvall's 2009 release, the title Aged and Confused turns out not to be a tossed off, sort of clever phrase that ultimately means nothing. Instead, it's a perfect moniker for what's arguably the 52-year-old's most thematically sound set, a set filled with the usually folksy observations, but this time focused on the dreaded state of middle age, and the even more dreaded state of what comes next. Connecting with his socially conservative audience, much of the material is inspired by Engvall's feeling that the world has changed for the worse, or at least, the more complicated, with "date nights" a requirement to see your spouse ("But there's a good chance I'm not gonna get lucky. That's hardly a date.") and where ridiculous stunts like Zip-lining are the only way to vacation. "All this stuff is turning me into someone I don't want to be. That grouchy get-off-my-yard guy" says Engvall but he finds it hard to admit that men don't go "Clubbing at 50" ("Ok, the VFW hall, the elks lodge..... I got that"). His confusion with feeling young inside and quite a bit older on the outside is what drives the album, well, that and a trip with the wife that's one disaster after another. Fans know that the grumpy old man thing fits Engvall better than he'd ever care to admit. Letting his inner geezer out little by little is what makes Aged and Confused so funny but it's that losing struggle to keep it in that makes the album so relatable. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The title to countrified comedian Bill Engvall's umpteenth release refers to how much an "Everyman" he is. Just like you average Joe, Engvall feels a little off from society, "not a like a Dungeons & Dragons dork, but just a little dork." This approachable style comes off even better in front of his hometown Texas audience, which is where this Comedy Central special, DVD, and CD was recorded. Comfortably strolling through his routine like an old friend telling stories, Engvall covers plenty of everyday frustrations in a connectable, Cosby-esque fashion with an extra helping of gross, but a tame type of gross that won't offend most. For instance, fellow Blue Collar comedian Larry the Cable Guy may be bold and proud when he breaks wind, while Engvall is timid and horrified to do it in front of his wife on the body function obsessed "Hurting Gas." His strongest material isn't gross at all with the great quip "What's a negative ion? I ain't never seen one!" dropped in "Ionic Breeze" while "Wives and NASCAR" suggests the drivers should dump their spotters and bring their nagging significant others along for advice ("Go around him! You're just being a jackass!"). Towering above it all is the title track, which finds Engvall stumbling and fumbling when he has the honor of meeting his hero, George Strait. Even if it doesn't have an instant catch phrase like his popular "Here's Your Sign," the excellent routine makes up for all the jokes that are so corny you expect that loose fence board from Hee Haw to appear and whup him on the rear. Course, that's part of Engvall's charm, and after all these years, albums, and tours, he doesn't disappoint. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'A Decade of Laughs'
Release Date 10/26/2004
Tracks 22
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
Best known for his "Here's Your Sign" bit -- as in what stupid people should be given -- Bill Engvall has built quite a following for his everyman brand of humor, a mix of folksy observations ("Factory outlet malls...Where you go to buy mistakes"), everyday family absurdities ("Son, please don't bite the dog..."), and the general trials of being a guy -- quitting smoking, being stubbornly old-fashioned, and getting old. "I don't know what this guy was looking for," Engvall says of the doctor giving him a physical, "But after a while I'm like 'Hey doc, why don't you tell me what I'm thinking?!'" Engvall has been especially successful as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, where he joins Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White in grousing good-naturedly about the inanities of American life. Fans of that tour will feel right at home with this overview of Engvall's solo material, as will his longtime listeners, since it gives them the big hits. In addition to his best comedy routines, A Decade of Laughs also features a selection of them set to country music tracks. Travis Tritt puts "Here's Your Sign" to a honky tonk tune, John Michael Montgomery guests on "Warning Signs," and "It's Hard to be a Parent" is self-explanatory. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Here's Your Sign Reloaded'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 12
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
"Here's your sign" has been Bill Engvall's signature bit since his hit debut in 1996. He's retooled it again for Here's Your Sign Reloaded. The Matrix riff is neither here nor there; it's just a wacky way to sell the record. Inside, you'll find Engvall running through his normal set of mildly amusing regular-guy humor. It's the sort of thing many people find funny not because it actually is, but because each observation fits seamlessly into the collective everyday world of middle-class American life. "I've Been Married for Twenty Years" and "Getting Old Sucks" are self-explanatory, while "Jolly Roger Party Boat" relates the events of a family theme cruise gone absurdly awry. Before too long it's time for the other shoe to finally drop. It's been hanging over Reloaded since track one, the audience straining on every laugh, waiting for the comic to drift into his most famous joke. "One of my pet peeves is I just hate stupid people," he says. "I think they should have to wear signs." Naturally, the crowd goes wild. Engvall then launches into a string of instances about peoples' tendency to state the obvious -- it's sort of a Darwin Awards for everyday stupidity. There's the lost luggage attendant who asks Engvall, "Has you plane landed yet?"; the passerby stopping to ask whether his new car -- complete with price tags -- is new; and a few more digs at the comedian's eventful family life. Each setup ends with a drawl of the "Here's your sign" punchline. Each time, it's met with raucous, out of control laughter. The second half of Reloaded kicks the other side of the horse, and puts "Here's your sign" to music. "Here's Your Sign (Don't' Mess With Us)" -- a duet with Neal McCoy -- moves into jingoistic territory, handing out "signs" to the Dixie Chicks (for slights against President Bush and Texas) and a host of international evildoers. (McCoy and Engvall get a big kick out of Jacques Chirac's name -- "A 'jock' is what an athlete wears, you moron.") The album is rounded out by "Here's Your Sign Christmas," previously released on his 1999 yuletide album. Longtime Engvall fans should get a kick out of Here's Your Sign Reloaded, since it's no different than any of the comic's past releases. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Depending on who you talk to, Bill Engvall has made a lucrative career of either delivering a much needed dose of traditional values to comedy, or shamelessly sucking up to society's lowest common denominator. Even more than Jeff Foxworthy, Engvall has positioned himself as the anti-Seinfeld; just a regular good ol' boy trying to make it through this crazy ol' world with pickup truck and cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon intact. He, however, is no throwback to Hee Haw and The Dukes of Hazzard. He represents a new breed of middle American populist: the financially stable, goateed Republican businessman who dresses casually in well pressed, late-'80s fashions and whose truck may just be a Toyota. In other words, Engvall is the perfect comedy equivalent of the Nashville new country "hat acts," with whom he shares a record label. These artists use the most basic sound byte-style trappings of a disappearing rural America, buff them to a sickening sheen, and serve them up to a public that, while still conservative, desperately wants to distance itself from the hick image of old. In this, he succeeds. On Now That's Awesome!, he performs before a large and enthusiastic crowd who is just waiting to cheer his every affirmation of their lifestyle. To Engvall's credit, he avoids using profanity to get easy laughs; instead he relies on a Budweiser commercial vision of sexual politics, one minute telling his audience how he'd love to find a naked Shania Twain waiting in his room, and the next admitting that men are dumb. ~ Pemberton Roach, All Music Guide
'Here's Your Christmas Album'
Release Date 9/28/1999
Tracks 12
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
For his follow-up to the masterful Dorkfish, country comedian Bill Engvall examines one of our great cultural unifiers: Christmas. Featuring a play on the title of his first album and hit single "Here's Your Sign," Here's Your Christmas Album consists of almost all new material, with the sole exception of the Dorkfish cut "Here's Your Sign Christmas," which definitely fits the theme of the album. Engvall has a knack for taking commonly accepted customs and turning them inside out, so that you can see their darker sides, that they can be irritating rather than cheerful. That's what he does on album highlights like "I'm Getting Sued by Santa Claus," "Rudolph Got a DUI," "That's What's Wrong With Christmas," and two versions of "Fruitcake Makes Me Puke." And who can't relate to "Gift Emergency"? More funny stuff from a funny, funny guy. ~ Chuck Donkers, All Music Guide
'Here's Your Sign'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 12
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
Bill Engvall's debut album Here's Your Sign is a reasonably funny collection of country-oriented standup comedy. Engvall is certainly more urbane than the cornball comedians that formed the backbone of the Grand Ole Opry's comedic contigent, yet much of his humor won't play well with those accustomed to, say, Jerry Seinfeld. Nevertheless, Engvall is sharper and more clever than, say, Jeff Foxworthy, even if he doesn't have a gimmick as catchy as "you know you're a redneck." Instead, Engvall is simply a solid journeyman comedian, and if Here's Your Sign isn't consistently hilarious, it at least offers enough good jokes to make it worth a listen. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
