Cledus T. Judd

Cledus T. Judd might be the most surprising success story in '90s country music. After all, who would have guessed that country music wanted a Weird Al Yankovic of their very own? Then again, country has a new comedy cause celebre each decade or so, and it was inevitable that a cornpone Weird Al would surface at some point. Of course, song parodies have been a staple of country comedy for years, but Judd's sensibility was straight out of Yankovic -- copying the original arrangement and recording to a T, only with wacky lyrics. And, like Weird Al, Cledus' stuff doesn't work if you're not familiar with the originals or if you just don't buy into the whole schick. If you're down with Judd, however, you'll find that his catalog is every bit as consistent as Yankovic's -- he hits the mark with each of his parodies, and his original songs are strong, too. Juddmental, his fourth album, is fundamentally no different than his first three efforts, and it is no better and no worse. That's not laziness -- that's consistency. If some of the jokes fall a little flat ("Coronary Life" is disgusting, not funny, and the Ricky Martin sendup "Livin' Like John Travolta" is misguided), there are plenty more that do work (particularly "Shania I'm Broke" -- strange how Shania brings out the best in Cledus). And it's hard not to smile when Judd twists Garth Brooks' alter-ego Chris Gaines into Waite Gaines. So, if you've never liked Cledus before, this ain't gonna change your mind. But if you have, you'll find Juddmental to your liking. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide