Search - Carla Ulbrich :: Sick Humor: Lighter Side of

Real Sick

Craig Clarke | New England | 09/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The package arrived in the mailbox with a hot pink Band-Aid®, just under the return address, marked with "Sick Humor." As you know, first impressions are very important and, with this one, I knew instantly that I was in for a something different. Sick Humor is a collection of darkly funny songs (they are about illness, after all) sung with tongue firmly in cheek and an optimistic viewpoint that is truly "contagious."



During a long illness, where she spent lots of time in hospital beds and "Sittin' in the Waiting Room" but was unable to play her guitar and write her own songs, Carla Ulbrich ("ole-brick") did what a lot of creative folks have done over the years: she put new words to already-popular songs. Sick Humor contains ten parodies, and one of them is even of her own song "What if Your Girlfriend Was Gone" (from Her Fabulous Debut).



Every period of music is covered here, from the Gershwin Brothers' ("I Got Tremors") to Willie Nelson ("On the Commode Again"). Her duplications of the Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket" ("Specialist") and Tommy Tutone's ode to a phone number ("Patient 294-6065") are remarkable. Even the Love Boat theme and the beloved and much-vulgarized "Colonel Bogey's March" from Bridge on the River Kwai don't escape Ulbrich's particular brand of satire -- she calls herself a Professional Smart Aleck -- with "The Colon" and "Prednisone," respectively, skewering them. (Stay tuned after the end of the CD for the harmony tracks from "The Colon.")



Though it's a little heavy on the scatology for my taste, with at least four songs featuring bathroom practices, Sick Humor is a terrific showcase for Ulbrich's quirky sense of humor and her eclectic taste in music. That she seems eminently approachable, just someone you know singing about familiar experiences, helps a lot. Not only is it a view of "The Lighter Side of Illness," it also makes me want to check out the other recordings she has made. And, of course, wish her the best of health."