Everyone's favorite elevator music

What do you get when you cross raunchy popular songs like "Rape Me" with big-band music? That would be Richard Cheese.

The common first response to "Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese" would probably be, "You have to be kidding me!" The singer starts off the album with Nirvana's "Rape Me," adding the cheerful introduction, "here's one for the ladies."

With 11 new hits and seven classic covers, Cheese swings through Slipknot, U2, Pink Floyd, Ying Yang Twins, and many other targets. It is an album appreciated best by fans of both satire and lounge singers.

Cheese goes so far as to advertise in the middle of "Bust a Move," "they really do weddings." But, this isn't exactly the music that would have grandma busting a move. It is the type of music that is best enjoyed after a few drinks with friends.

The cover art is a fabulous spoof on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." The recognizable refraction passes through a martini glass, hinting at his lounge sound, under the fitting title, "Sunny Side of the Moon."

Each song is a remake of another artist's lyrics, so the creativity is all about the Cheese's comments and musical tweaking. Within the genuine lyrics Cheese adds his own flair, such as in "Badd" when Cheese yells out "get drunk, Bobby."

During "Fight For Your Right," Cheese randomly scats the name Erykah Badu. This is not an everyday lounge-singing, swinging leader of a big band, but one that brings some Jewish greeting and a little melody into the middle of "Come Out and Play."

All of the interpretation is accompanied by Cheese's contagious lounge-singer charisma. Despite the fact that his "pop" approach is completely out of place for most of the songs, it's that which makes them funny.

This isn't the type of music many people would listen to regularly, but it is great to pull out during a party or to spice up an elevator ride.