Name-checking the likes of Sacajawea, Muhammad Yunus, and Dora the Explorer while keeping the Midwest on his sleeve by off-handedly referencing the traditional meat-raffle, Chad Daniels (no relation to Jack) means it when he says he's 'Busy Being Awesome.'

If that's not enough, he's even crafted the finest segue known to man: 'While I'm being a jerk...' Daniels' experience as a veteran of Comedy Central Presents, the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, and the Late Late Show pays off in spades on his masterful new release from Stand Up! Records.

In the course of an hour, Daniels covers a lot of real estate, addressing everything from the vagaries of English grammar and the Gregorian calendar to his vanguard plan to reform Social Security through a combination of the humane dispatch of anyone with the gall to out-live the average lifespan and, well, Skee-Ball. All the while, his relatable, every-guy persona and total comfort on stage help Daniels keep the audience in the palm of his hand with winking call-backs and voice inflections that can - and often do - serve as their own punch lines.

A fresh take on nearly everything, 'Busy Being Awesome' hits enough high notes to warrant frequent listening and the repeated pinching of one-liners by mimicking party-goers who want to cop just a little bit of Chad Daniels' signature awesome. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.