I'm Not Cindy Brady

I'm Not Cindy Brady is Suzanne Westenhoefer's second standup album, with the title stemming from an incident in which she was mistaken for the former child star by an acting classmate. The album proves why Westenhoefer was one of the leading figures on the lesbian/gay comedy circuit at the turn of the millennium, by turns, relaxed and edgy, droll and bitingly sarcastic. Westenhoefer has a pretty wide performance range, and she's able to pull off both sides of the equation convincingly. Her strongest moments tend to come when she's addressing specifically gay themes, whether it's negotiating relationships or hypocrisy and poorly concealed homophobia in straight society; she's racy but good-natured on the former, and with the latter subject, she's sharp-witted and incisive, with a great eye for irony. Her mellower observational humor tends to be good but less distinctive; however, her stage presence — brassy and energetic, even a little bit hyper at times — carries the record through. Another fine, entertaining effort.