Album Review: Ryan Williams, Manual Labour of Love

Sitting at a whopping 1 hour and 16 minutes, Ryan Williams’ debut album Manual Labour of Love is a feel-good overview of Williams’ life during the pandemic, interspersed with moments over the preceding and ensuing years. 

Some discouraged Williams from talking about COVID and its never-ending lockdowns, but it’s a good thing he didn’t pay heed to their concerns because the laughs this album gives are undeniable. Of course, Williams doesn't just cover those infamous COVID years, but he also goes back in his history, regaling the audience with tales of nightclub escapades, prior to his quitting drinking. Listen to track 14 to hear how Williams unintentionally became a hero, thereby dubbing himself as nightclub Batman. It’s in these stories – like track 25’s Epilogue (Hope to Live) – where Williams really thrills, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, laughter abounding, as he details how he was almost accidentally killed by his grandmother. 

You’ll want to hear Williams’ mean-spirited Sylvester Stallone impersonation (track 25), how he moved on the bus (track 5), the successful literary fart joke that some would say he couldn’t do (track 7) and the “Most Canadian Heckle” (an apt name for track 10). While this labour of love was manual, the effects of it are a certain automatic pleasure.

Manual Labour of Love was released September 9, 2022 on Comedy Records.
Listen to it here.