Fans of the verbal and intellectual martial art that takes place behind a microphone and in front of an audience… know how easy it is, to oversimplify why things work or don’t. To say “this is better because…” when at the end of the day it can (and probably should) be based on preference as much as content, is comical all by itself.
Where 3 Mics felt like a tangible origin story and Blocks illuminated the work he knew he had to do on himself to evolve. “Brand New
Neal” is probably as ‘present in topic’ as I’ve ever seen him.
This time offering a wider angle lens and a few less selfies; Neal’s snap shots of life over the last year land logically and without a lot of extra decoding.
Clearly he has a desire to help. This time Neal seems to offer more healing through sheer humor, than vulnerability validation through the material.
Which is understandable. At some point even Eminem had to make peace with his mom.
If the new objective is born from a desire to stay in motion and not be stagnant…cool. If its from growth from doing the work detailed (with mini-sculptures) in Blocks, even cooler.
One wouldn’t have to see the previous specials to enjoy him on this tour, but there’s absolutely no reason to avoid them. So catch up if you’re behind.
