I can’t stress how impressive it is to me, watching a comedian who like Keith Robinson is just a comedian. Plenty of people use stand-up comedy to springboard to other mediums but the increasingly rare breed of comedian only looking to do stand-up generally produces some of the best comedy.

This is the case with my two favorite specials this month. These two comedians are strictly comedians. They’ve done some acting here and there but for over 25 years, they’ve been committed to stand-up comedy and stand-up comedy alone.

My favorite album/special/hour/whatever the fuck was Earthquake’s These Ain’t Jokes. Numbers 1 and 2 were really close but the edge is going to Earthquake because I really didn’t know what to expect. I know I saw his HBO Half Hour from 2004 but really I’ve only known him by reputation. I will give any comedian who has a career as long and successful as Earthquake’s a large amount of respect because he’s pulled all of that off while still being called Earthquake. You don’t call yourself Earthquake and not become a punchline unless you’re really good.

And he’s really good. Like really, really good. This is a great special. I won’t at all be surprised if this show’s up in the top 10 for the year. It’s high energy and smart and extremely funny. He is in complete control. I only listened to the album because I don’t have Showtime (keep an eye open for my “Help me get Showtime” Kickstarter campaign coming soon). He’s getting the energy from a crowd that I’m only used to seeing in clubs. So many times on these one hour specials, the crowd seems to be bused in and they’re good but this was Earthquake in front of Earthquake’s crowd. Do yourself a favor and give it a watch or listen.

The other lifer comic with a special this month is Keith Robinson. There is a moment about 15 minutes into his first one hour special where a woman gasps in shock to a detail in a story and Keith responds with the most perfectly timed, “Shut up.” I’ve watched this moment about 15 times. It kills me.

As the one hour special becomes as common as the half hour special, being given out to really good comedians who maybe haven’t put in the time to really perfect the material over the course of a career. Back of the Bus Funny is the exception. This is a comedian who has worked consistently for over 20 years. A comedian who hasn’t had as many opportunities to showcase his material on television.