With stand-up comedy, the closer in proximity in time a comedian is to their material, the fresher and more resonant it will undoubtedly be. Calise Hawkins‘ new album Calise Hawkins Is 40 AF really runs with that idea as Calise recorded this new hour on her 40th birthday.

Hawkins stories and observations about being a 40 year old single mother really are celebratory in a way that you rarely hear in comedy. Most comments on being middle aged or older usually lean towards pretty self-deprecating to terribly self-deprecating. Calise has a few slick lines cheekily poking fun at her current moment in her life, but it’s pretty clear that she revels in joy with the present, being 40, and having a 13 year old kid. As a result, Calise’s lust for life is pretty infectious as she even recounts the struggles of her love life in her situation and attempting to raise her teenager while sharing a room with her. The lining up of her 40th birthday and talking about her age and her experience gives a snappy energy on this record that is so charming.

Also, Calise’s bit where she shares her own interpretation of the creation myth is pretty damn fun and subversive too.

Calise Is 40 AF is available from Blonde Medicine wherever you get comedy albums this Friday. You can (and should) pre-order it on iTunes here.