HAR MAR SUPERSTAR - THE HANDLER

A few years ago a couple writers from TLC caught a show in the basement of a small art space in Columbus, Ohio. I didn\'t go to the show, but when they got back they told me all about it. \"You should have seen this dude,\" they said, shocked at what they had taken in. \"He was this chubby little white dude that did Prince-like tunes, and he was dancing around in his underwear by the end of the night.\"

Laughing, I asked, \"Ah... what?\"

\"He was hilarious, man. His name is Har Mar.\"

Now, some four years later, Har Mar is not only on his third album, The Handler (Record Collection Music), but he\'s also fairly well-known. Long gone are the days of Columbus basement shows. Har Mar has ascended to true rock star status.

And there is good reason for his ascension. I was a big fan of his last album, You Can Feel Me, and The Handler is a fantastic follow-up. It\'s funky, it\'s raw, it\'s funny, it\'s sexy, and it\'s fun. And you can\'t help but shake your ass to it.

\"Cut Me Up\" is an Eighties synthesized sideshow of sounds and sex. With \"Sugar Pie\", this twenty-something white boy from Minneapolis emits more of a Stevie Wonder vibe than anything Stevie himself has done in the last 20 years. \"Save The Strip\" is Har Mar channeling the spirit of Eminem through Justin Timberlake. And \"O\" is the power love ballad that was left off the last New Kids album. You know, the one Danny was supposed to sing. But Har Mar handles this smoove jam with more style and grace than that monkey-faced New Kid ever could.

So, yes, Har Mar is funky. And yes, Har Mar can rock out, as well. But what\'s best about Har Mar? His lyrics. Don\'t believe me? Dig this little bit from the album\'s first single, \"D.U.I.\":

\"Tip on the cotton candy bus / I win a stuffed tiger just for us / These are the broken promises / That I won\'t recall when the sun comes up.\"

It\'s not just music, ya\'ll. It\'s comedy. And when it comes to Har Mar, no one marries those two things more perfectly.