Nothing cures a musical rut on the old iPod like an eclectic, little ditty designed to do nothing but entertain. Such is the case with any of the fine selections from the album “The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese.”
“Sunny Side” includes 11 all-new tracks and seven classics from Cheese and his band, Lounge Against the Machine, the comedic jazz and lounge cover band who have amused audiences on “Last Call With Carson Daly,” MTV and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The offerings on the album come from a wide range of musical genres from rap to rock. Some of the artists whose works are covered are Pink Floyd, Nirvana, The Clash, Snoop Dogg and The Beastie Boys.
One characteristic that Cheese possesses is that he manages to create lively jazz and lounge versions without desecrating the originals. Big Band instruments, witty banter, experimentation with music and his own smooth Vegas-style singing make it work.
Not only is Cheese’s voice pleasant to listen to, but there is an uproarious quality to his deadpan crooning. This is especially true when he is ardently singing lyrics such as, “A chick walks by/You wish you could sex her/But you’re standing on the wall like you was Poindexter” or “F-ck you/I don’t need this sh-t/I’m down with the sickness,” from Young MC’s “Bust a Move” and “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed respectively.
Nirvana’s track, “Rape Me,” is the first number on the album, and a perfect example of Cheese and company’s musical stylings.
First is an offhand comment from Cheese, specifically, “here’s one for the ladies,” before plunging into the first line of the song. Jazzy piano chords, a swift tempo and overlying horns are a stark contrast to the original, but that’s what makes this song so fascinating to hear.
A first listen of “Baby Got Back” may cause slight hysterics, due in part to Cheese’s singing. But once the listener gets past that, the actual music is fairly impressive. The piano builds up some tension in the beginning before breaking into a winning tune, and is highlighted by fancy flourishes that only a seasoned pianist would be capable of duplicating.
Another notable tune is a cheerful version of “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails. As in “Rape Me,” a jaunty piano and accenting horns accompany Cheese’s jovial voice. The content of the song practically gets lost in the catchy music.
The album concludes on a high note with Cheese’s own take on the Radiohead classic, “Creep.” This interpretation is upbeat and heavy on the horns making the song incredibly uplifting and amusing to listen to. The song ends in the famous notes of Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” most commonly known as that song from the film “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
This molding of music is also found in some of Cheese’s other covers. For example, in Motley Crue’s “Girls, Girls, Girls,” the band fusions their melody with some bars of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”
“Sunny Side” is available in stores now. In March, Cheese will announce dates for The Small Dick Tour, a mini-tour featuring just him and his pianist, or as the tour’s slogan goes: “Two Entertainers. Four Hands. One Dick.”
