Oh Weird Al… what can I say? This man has made himself a celebrity on a level almost that of the stars that he parodies. His 13th album, “Alpacalypse” falls right in line with his previous releases. He doesn’t change the game this time around, and we don’t want him to.

Perhaps the craziest story surrounding this record is his quest for permission to parody Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” (aka, now “Perform This Way).

Under US copyright law, Weird Al is not required to seek permission to release parodies, yet he does so out of respect for the artist from which he wants to borrow. Earlier this year, Gaga’s management denied permission to release the parody (which Yankovic planned to use as the lead-off track on this new record), which would have set the release date back and cause Al to come up with a new song to begin start off the album.

He began posting his Gaga parody on social sites (notably Twitter and Youtube) in an effort to gain some momentum and hopefully gain some support. Within 24 hours of posting the track, it was discovered that Lady Gaga herself had never heard the parody, and quickly allowed Weird Al permission to release it once she had finally listened to it.

The songs are standard Weird All style, with other parodies of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, and T.I.. The Doors-esque “Craigslist” is surely entertaining, as is the all-too-familiar “Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me” (take a guess as to what it refers to).

But my favorite, as with any Weird Al Yankovic album, is the polka track. Appropriately titled “Polka Face”, we hear the traditional up-tempo renditions of Gaga, Britney, Bieber, and Katy Perry. It’s an instant chuckle.

Bottom line: Nothing new here, but that’s perfectly fine.

– Clay Lancaster 

Rating 8/10