Cosby Sings?

Today I thought I would enlighten you on a comedian who put out a record that is interesting... to say the least. While this is still what would typically be considered a comedy record, there are a number of tracks upon which Cosby provides a straight vocal delivery without any tongue-in-cheek goofiness. Among them, "Sunny" and "Ursalena" are perhaps the most touching, while others, like the ever-so-slightly retitled "Hold on I'm a Comin'" and "(I'm A) Roadrunner," vary only slightly from their respective originals. On the other hand, his covers of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, "Funky Broadway" (here titled "Funky North Philadelphia"), and the title track (itself a thinly disguised cover of "Purple Haze") are downright silly and seem to downplay the earnestness with which one could potentially approach the other material. There are a number of contradictory forces at work here to be sure. Unless one is willing to look beyond the surface and into the music itself, it's easy to get lost in the comedy aspects of the record and miss some of its hidden gems. Both the title track and "Funky North Philadelphia" were released as singles in 1968.

Bill Cosby - Funky North Philadelphia
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