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Tenacious D

by Tenacious D

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Biting, sometimes base satire and humor populates this 21-cut comedy-rock debut from actor-musician Jack Black and his band, Tenacious D. Sort of like a trashier, more casual and less musical Beck, vocalist-guitarist Black and guitarist-vocalist Kyle Gass, with help from Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, Redd Kross's Steve McDonald, and Page McConnell of Phish, deliver oddball musings that will appeal mostly to fans of the talented Black, whose earned a following thanks to memorable, frenetic turns in the films Hi Fidelity and Jesus' Son. The songs and "bits" include the wonderfully, intentionally melodramatic "Wonderboy," Black ordering "four Chicken McNuggets" on "Drive Thru," and the funny ode to vocalist Ronnie James Dio, where Black observes, "Dio has rocked for a very long time / Now it's time for him to pass the torch." With often intentionally droll and dumb humor smartly executed like a latter-day version of Bob & Doug McKenzie with a dash of Spinal Tap, this more-comedy-than-rock debut is likely to achieve cult status. --Katherine Turman