Rock 'Never' stops on latest

Can you believe its been nearly five years since "No Sex in the Champagne Room" was released, launching Chris Rock from comedian to all-around superstar, starring in movies like "Dogma," "Down to Earth" and "Head of State?"\nNow, to be honest, the song didn't solely give Rock the extra popularity needed to make that jump. He's well recognized as one of today's finest comedians, and arguably the best of all-time.\nRock returned to his roots with Never Scared, his most recent HBO special that aired in 2004, which is now being released on CD and DVD. Rock certainly hasn't lost any style points, still blasting out comedy with his distinctive voice and delivery, which pretty much makes everything he says somewhat funny, whether he's trying to be or not.\nRock is now 39 years old (believe it), and in his life he's seen a lot and written plenty of material. While originally many of his bits were edgy and about racial issues, Never Scared tries to cover just about everything, from pop culture to politics. Rock jabs at Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, the government, the war, al-Qaida, abortion, relationships and marriage, resulting in a set that everyone will enjoy at least a part of.\nRock has definitely matured in his time as a comedian, and this is arguably some of his smartest humor. Rock has always been known for being able to pick out the most ridiculous elements of social issues -- good or bad -- and putting a hilarious spin on them. He continues to do so with this performance, including some points where he's almost rallying the crowd to agree with him.\nWhile the performance as a whole is solid, fans (especially the hardcore ones) don't listen to Chris Rock for his worldviews or political opinions, which part of the CD covers. Rock also shows shades of his old bits, especially when he talks about R. Kelly and strippers. For the outside listeners, they might be interested in Rock's unique points on national and world issues, or they might just prefer to watch "The Daily Show." \nWhether you're a longtime fan or someone who's seen some of his movies but never listened to the stand-up, Chris Rock will never cause major disappointment. Die-hards who long for his old material might feel a little shortchanged, while first-time listeners will be thoroughly impressed (although they should listen to his older material as well). Either way, Chris Rock has been doing this long enough and at such a high level to definitively place himself atop the stand-up comedy pyramid. In the end that's always going to leave listeners wanting more.