Saturday Shuffle: N.E.R.D., Disturbed, Cypress Hill, ZZ Top, Aerosmith

A shuffle with two hip-hop tunes in it? What are things coming to here ...  ;)

N.E.R.D., "Lapdance." From the album In Search of ... (2002). This tune is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Well, more than a bit of one, I guess. I might be the only person on the planet that liked the "Daredevil" movie. And I absolutely love the scene where the camera pans up on Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin in that suit, leaning on his cane and puffing a cigar. That scene is the whole reason this song is in my collection. I could live without the more typical rap toward the end, but otherwise, I have to admit I like it.

Disturbed, "The Game." From the album The Sickness (2000). My introduction to Disturbed came on an HBO live concert show, and they were featured ahead of Pantera, which was the real reason I was watching. This was one of the songs that they played that impressed me. I thought David Draiman's manic vocal delivery and the overall sound were not quite like anything I'd heard, and I went out and got the record. Their output since has been spotty, but there are still some great moments on this one.

Cypress Hill, "Cock the Hammer." From the album Black Sunday (1993). Cypress Hill is one of the few hip-hop groups that I do actually like quite a bit. I've always thought they had something just a little different going on from the average hip-hop outfit. I love their rhythms and the flavor that they throw into a tune. Or maybe it was just the sample of the harmonica line from "The Wizard," which I liked despite hating samples. This tune, though, is all about that bass line.

ZZ Top, "Tush." From the album Fandango! (1975). I love a great big old softball of a song, and this is one if ever there were. There's that unmistakable riff, and while I usually go for the Billy Gibbons brand of cool, Dusty Hill brings it to this song. One of the greatest blues rock songs of all time.

Aerosmith, "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)." From the album Nine Lives (1997). After being utterly disappointed with Get a Grip, I thought Aerosmith got kind of back on track with this record. It's not the 1970s sound, but there's something about it that makes me really like it. This song mixed more of the modern Aerosmith sound with the (barely) double entendre of their best work.