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Nov 8, 2011A notion that acts as the foundation for the eight cuts on the hypnotic but illuminating Humor Risk.
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Nov 4, 2011He has made another (mostly) sublime record.
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Nov 8, 2011Nothing about the eight tracks on Humor Risk seems spare or accidental, as the record is expertly plotted and paced, never falling in to the samey or undifferentiable trap that his previous effort drowned in.
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Nov 11, 2011It will take repeat listening to capture the total gist of the record, as well as digging into McCombs' back catalog to get the whole story.
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Nov 17, 2011If McCombs' first release this year evoked a sense of baroque horror, this one does loosen up, offering at least a few degrees of clarity in a catalog more defined with each passing year by its creator's desire to subvert the tropes of his genre and refuse anything resembling an easy reading.
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Nov 10, 2011Humor may not exactly be a love record, but its road-ready ballads and attitude toward life are a bit more encouraging than--and a perfect compliment to– Wit's dark ruminations.
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Nov 8, 2011While McCombs may not transcend his influences, his sense of...well, humor on Humor Risk does set him apart from the current crop of guitar-based musicians that wallow in the dour and faux-clever.
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Nov 16, 2011Humor Risk is a livelier affair and its venturesome aesthetic wanders.
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MojoJan 11, 2012He might still be too unashamedly oddball to conquer the charts, but this is another work of warped brilliance. [Dec. 2011 pg. 95]
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Nov 4, 2011Humor Risk rhythmically shakes off the lingering sad sick and triggers back the talky, rambunctious oddments of wisdom we've come to know from him.
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Nov 11, 2011Though he used songs from the same recording sessions for both, Humor Risk is quite a different collection, accessible and verbose by McCombs's standards.
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Nov 8, 2011The complexity of the album is minimal, but McCombs manages to craft eight songs that explore a lighthearted lyrical tone and dynamic view of life.
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Nov 9, 2011There are a handful of solid songs on Humor Risk, though, without an outright dud in the bunch-- and if that represents a disappointment, then in the end, the joke might be on us.
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Dec 12, 2011The results are sometimes funny, sometimes scary, sometimes touching, but rarely boring.
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Nov 8, 2011Humor Risk proves that striking a balance doesn't necessarily imply stasis.
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Q MagazineDec 15, 2011Humor Risk is another casually monumental achievement from one of the great singer-songwriters of the day. [Dec. 2011 p. 130]
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Nov 4, 2011Humor Risk isn't a perfect album by any stretch, but it does provide another striking glimpse into the picaresque, tongue-in-cheek tragedies that mark McCombs's unique songwriting.
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Nov 4, 2011Cass McCombs confronts life's miseries with a smirk and a softly rocking beat on this enjoyable sixth album.
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Nov 8, 2011Humor Risk might be another downer from this accomplished singer-songwriter, but its pulse beats strong as it bleeds.
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Nov 9, 2011It's difficult to say Humor Risk is better than WIT'S END, but it is certainly its perfect counterpart.
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Nov 15, 2011Everything is still flawed and everyone unredeemable on this album, but as a whole it doesn't grip completely like past gems.
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UncutNov 23, 2011Still one of America's most unique and affecting songwriters. [Dec 2011, p.90]
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Under The RadarNov 9, 2011Its oddball pop flavors and production style bring Ariel Pink to mind. [Oct. 2011, p. 101]