Michael Showalter is not a new face to fans of comedy. His participation as one of the primary members of “The State” in the 1990s helped launch his career as a part of the alternative comedy scene. Showalter’s work since “The States” has included cult classics like “Wet Hot American Summer” and the comedy trio Stella that have pleased diehard comedy fans. These projects may be deemed by mainstream comedy fans as duds but they offer something unique from the neo-Seinfeldian work of Dane Cooks and Carlos Mencia out there.

Showalter put out his debut comedy CD “Sandwiches and Cats” through J-Dub Records at the end of 2007. The CD mixes spoken word humor with stand-up comedy to keep listeners guessing from one track to the next. I think there is virtue in Showalter’s effort to steer clear of a straight stand-up CD which can be an exhausting listen after the first go-round. In the end, however, Showalter’s work on “Sandwiches and Cats” hits peaks and sinks into valleys from one track to the next.

The comedian offers some cutting observations to inane aspects of everyday life on tracks like “Coffee” and “Cats.” Showalter unravels criticism of weird consumer choices on “Coffee,” fixating on a stray copy of “Akeelah and the Bee” at Starbucks. “Cats” shows Showalter at this finest in a live comedy setting with the comedian criticizing a woman who brought cats to a comedy show. I have read some listener criticism of Showalter for dragging out the bit for so long. These listeners seem to be unfamiliar with the essence of Showalter’s comedy and live comedy in general which is confronting an awkward moment with an equally awkward response.

There are portions of “Sandwiches and Cats” where Showalter falls into the typical boundaries of observational humor. One track called “Requip” is a running joke about a prescription drug for restless leg syndrome. Unlike “Coffee” and “Cats,” the track does not seem to offer anything unique from similar jokes by mainstream comedians. Every comedian is going to have a clunker now and again. If “Requip” is Showalter’s biggest clunker on stage, he should be fine when producing additional records.

The spoken word and musical elements of the album are intriguing if not always successful. Showalter’s comedic versatility is shown off on a track called “Lake Waswood” which has a travelogue style paired with the comedian’s penchant for picking apart fanciful language. “The Mountain” is a mixture of travel journalism, music and hilarious interludes with Showalter arguing with himself about inappropriate descriptions of events like a mountain climber “drenched in gravy.”

I tried to find other spoken word and musical tracks funny because I like Michael Showalter’s past work. It was difficult to get through offerings like the unnecessary rock parody “We Had To Do The Show” which was a two-minute opportunity for Showalter to fool around without being funny. Spoofs like “Term Werner Cable” may have been amusing before the Jerky Boys ruined telephone pranks for the rest of the comedy world. It is clear that “Term Werner Cable” does not have the annoying reality of a Jerky Boys track but it also covers ground well-worn in the comedy world regarding the automation of customer service.

There are glimpses of Michael Showalter’s comedic genius on “Sandwiches and Cats” if you approach the album like a Magic Eye poster. Some people will see Showalter’s album as a stroke of genius without blemish while others will dislike it immensely. I prefer to look at Showalter’s debut album as a Lost and Found box at a store: you are as likely to find a missing money clip full of bills as you are a broken Walkman from the early 1990s.