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 "Cheesy Listening It's time to get down with the Dickness once
again, as Richard Cheese and his fantabulous band, Lounge Against the Machine,
swankify more of today's hit songs." Reviewed by Toby Osborne In a tiger-striped tuxedo and clutching a glass of martini, Dick - or Richard Cheese to the uninitiated - has made recycling pop records into an art form. The groovy cat is back with his latest offering, 'TUXICITY;' one of those unique gems, unlike anything else around. Where else would you go to hear a lounge singer croon homages to Britney Spears' classics, or Sinatra-ify Linkin Park tunes? Only in a world where Dick is king.  Even mom and dad might catch themselves tapping their feet and snapping their fingers to a Cheese album. The swinging music, provided by the talented Lounge Against the Machine, combined with the intoxifying and inspiring melted-gorgonzola vocals of Cheese, might sound like the work of twisted Las Vegas lounge lizards, but what would mom and dad make of the songs Cheese covers? 'She hates me' by Puddle of Mud, '(Down with) the Sickness' by Disturbed, and 'Loser' by Beck all get the mozzarella treatment on the latest CD. 'Insane in the Brain' (originally by Cypress Hill) is one of the many highlights - just for the sheer audacity of choosing a song so far removed from anything croony. Ironically, 'Insane' used to rouse stoners into a frantic jump-around frenzy, but is miraculously warped by Cheese to better suit a laid-back cocktail party. Pass the wieners, Dick. And then there's Sir Mix-a-lot's 'Baby Got Back.' Cheese delivers this rap with an eerie timeless quality. It's like discovering an early Andy Williams' B-side ("Hey, Grandpa! I was just in your attic when I found the 'original' recording of that hip new Sir Mix-a-lot song!"). You may also marvel at the long-forgotten lyrics to 'Buddy Holly' by Weezer. Previously resigned to obscurity, as Weezer's version ploughs through the words at the speed of light; Cheese slows things down nicely to a ballad and you realise you were missing the best part. 'Buddy Holly' is actually a thought-provoking song... Or perhaps I'm just reading too much into this? That is the catch to Tuxicity. You start to wonder if Guns 'n' Roses and Van Halen (both covered on Tuxicity) really meant something, or if we were all better off when the guitars and drums drowned out the singing. Either way, the world is a better place thanks to Cheese and his cohorts. No right-minded individual would want to miss out on a new interpretation of 'Crazy' by Britney Spears. And, as I mentioned before, where else can you find somebody smoothly crooning 'She fucking hates me,' accompanied by a piano, bass and drums? Richard Cheese's knack for remoulding songs that broke the mould has attracted plenty of exposure from MTV and NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly. Hell - there was even a Lounge Against the Machine category on Rock and Roll Jeopardy! And Tuxicity confirms it - like all good cheese, this one has improved with age. To order Tuxicity on-line or to simply see more Dick, check out www.iloverichardcheese.com And - yes - we do love Richard Cheese. |
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