APOLOGIZE, APOLOGIZE!

Jeff Woodman lends a boyish exuberance and a sense of irony to Elizabeth Kelly's entry in "The Most Dysfunctional Family" sweepstakes. Collie Flanagan tells the story of his eccentric relatives in wry, apologetic tones, and Woodman turns Collie's idiosyncratic account into a tragicomedy filled with oddballs and loonies. Anais, Collie's neurotic, vindictive mother, names her sons after breeds of dogs. His father, Charlie, is a hard-drinking, womanizing Irishman, and brother Bingo is all charm and gloss. With a pigeon-breeding uncle and a super-rich grandfather to round out the cast, Woodman handles all with relaxed, casual ease, avoiding the temptation to overdo Kelly's enthusiastic turns of phrase. When a double dose of tragedy levels Collie, Woodman's insouciance turns appropriately remorseful. Woodman makes this worth a listen. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2009]