Rick McAlister Surplus Cheese. Release Date : 2004. Label: Independent Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. This lies somewhere hazily between beatnik jazz and a hooting, tooting children's album. There's weird off-kilter beats, low and simple bars of a thousand different instruments, and peculiar noises that come off like the soundtrack to some huge stuffed character loping along (I'm thinking Barney here or that huge hairy fanged sasquatch thing from the Muppet Show). McAlister's voice is a throaty speak type of thing, that sounds just sullied in... there's all these references to hip-hop, and seeing as the album is titled Surplus Cheese, I can't help but think this is likely a tongue-in-cheek record rather than any sort of serious effort. On that note, it's far too long for anyone to listen to for entertainment/social commentary value alone. But oddly, if the vocals weren't in it, much of the album would become a relatively accomplished score to a stage play. Maybe he should look into a change of career...! His bio looks at The Streets as, not really a comparison so much as a basic basic vibe - that being a white kid doing bored-sounding quirky hip-hop. It's all strangely-sampled-sounding instruments, flute things, tappy things, chimes, bassoons... the second track talks about a synthesizer for Christmas... I can presume thats what this whole thing was done on? Even the credits contain mounds of corny humour. What is this?? I'll take it as a sarcastic record and leave it at that. It's completely bizarre though. I'll give it that it's pretty on-its-own, but I still find myself unable to listen to it at length. Good for a chuckle. Song of choice : Don't have a favourite song. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Rick McAlister website Published : March, 2005.