As a dedicated SNL watcher through the good and the bad, the Lonely Island guys got my attention - and the attention of a lot of other people - with "Lazy Sunday" a Beastie Boys-esque rap video about two guys going to go see The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe on a Sunday morning. Billed as a "Digital Short," the song became an internet sensation, made Samberg and his writing partners people to watch, and put SNL back in the headlines while spawning a number of imitators.
In the following years, the "Digital Shorts" have become a staple of the show, and sometimes, its high points. But the ones that work the best are the Lonely Island-produced music videos - "D*** in a Box" featuring Justin Timberlake, "I Ran (So Far)," featuring Adam Levine (with a pretty great cameo from Jake Gyllenhaal). So when word hit that The Lonely Island were releasing a CD, it seemed like a no-brainer.
And as an album, it's pretty good. The songs for the most part don't outstay their welcome, and the talent assembled is impressive - Norah Jones, T-Pain, and Natalie Portman (!!) show up on the album's best tracks. The songs recycled from the show are worth an extra listen - without the audience response and the visual, the listener can really sit back and appreciate how musically deft these songs are. Also included is a DVD of some of the videos - a nice companion, and great for the completionist SNL fan.
Unfortunately, there are a few omissions from the show that are really unfortunate. "I Ran" - in my opinion, one of the subtler, smarter, and funnier songs TLI has put together - is nowhere to be found, in either song or video form. Likewise, the T-Pain starring "I'm on a Boat" video - which was aired on the show as a promo for the album - is completely absent as well. That's one of the songs that really needs the visuals to work, as the whole concept behind it springs from music videos featuring rap stars on yachts. The song by itself is great, but loses something without its visual representation, and it's a shame that the video didn't make it on.
As is, this is a great disc, and well worth the price, especially when you consider the DVD. But those omissions keep the set from being truly incredible.