Funky Fusion

'Raw' meets Cosby in young comic's raunchy take on family life.

Kevin Hart takes a raw approach to the sub-genre of stand-up about being married and raising kids with his new album “Seriously Funny,” released July 20 on Comedy Central Records, following on his special on the network. The title is apt, as Hart takes the serious subject matter of the everyday life of a married man and makes it uproarious.

“Women don’t know how to tell stories,” Hart observes, giving a perfect example of a winding tale about his wife’s workplace that goes nowhere. Hart applies the same “man’s man” approach to other pieces, like “One of My Biggest Fears” being that his son will be gay – to the point where he’ll step in if he sees anything wrong happening on the playground.

“Storm Out Correctly,” another piece on the album, counsels husbands to make it quick when rushing out to prove a point in a marital argument. “You’re trying to put the fear in that you may never be coming back,” Hart says. “And you can’t get stuck waiting for one of the kids wanting to come with you.”

In happier times, as in another piece, called simply “Sex,” Hart imagines himself a skilled lover, but his beleaguered wife will say, “You’ve been doing the same moves since 1988.” Hart places himself at times as the fool and at others as the embattled martyr to the family unit, with just a small amount of character voices to illustrate his stories, with earthy no-nonsense monologues that connect with an audience.