Grade: B-
Atlanta native Faye Webster arrives just in time for cookout season delivering a weepy summer soundtrack with her fourth album, I Know I’m Funny Haha. Throughout her career, Webster has created a portrait of loneliness and soul crushing, often unrequited love. On this project, Webster switches gears however, and shifts her focus to explore the idea of being madly in love.
Webster’s pen is as strong as ever, as she crafts song after song of 20-something genius. There’s a lot less bleak irony on this record than on her previous “Atlanta Millionare’s Club,” and it’s replaced with gut-punching realness. Webster’s confession on "Both All The Time: illustrates this best, “I’m loneliest at night / after my shower beer.” Over the course of her 40 minute, 11 song album, Webster chronicles the full spectrum of a relationship.
The instrumentation on all of these tracks is beautiful, but Webster stumbles on the variety front. Her quintessential whisper vocals are still charming, but as the album trucks along it can feel a bit repetitive. The most sonically different track on the entire project is “Cheers,” which embodies the potential Webster possesses, as she dives into and explores a more somber, grungy, psychedelic sound. The remaining ten tracks feel as if they’ve been tucked away in a vault.
While I don’t think this record sounds better than Atlanta Billionaire’s Club, I think Webster has still shown unparalleled progress and maturity as a lyricist. For that alone this album stands out from its peers.
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