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The Rice Thresher
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Robert Reichle If there's one modern band that ever captured the soulful sound of 1960s Jamaica, it's Los Angeles-based Hepcat. Critically acclaimed for their 1997 album Right on Time and widely recognized as a torch-bearer of the traditional Jamaican ska sound during the ska deluge of 1996-'98, the members of Hepcat have spent years perfecting their timeless mix of Kingston rhythms, R&B and jazz. Push 'N Shove, Hepcat's latest album, is slower and moodier than previous efforts, but it's still a killer. "Push 'N Shove," the disc's opener, incorporates incredible vocals by Greg Lee and Deston Berry to create an instantly memorable, light and easy song. The sparing use of saxophone and trumpet highlights the cool vocals on what is one of the album's finest moments. Alex Desert, the band's former co-vocalist, returns as a guest on "Tek Dat," the album's second track. Desert, an actor who appeared in Swingers and TV's "Becker" and "Boy Meets World," lends a somewhat sinister tone to the calypso sex song. The sultry voice of another guest vocalist, Karina Denike of the Dance Hall Crashers, counteracts the forlorn reggae moodiness of "Prison of Love" and adds balance to what is the best song on the album. The song originally appeared on Out of Nowhere, Hepcat's debut album, but this remake is sexy and lovesick in ways the original version never came close to being. Other high points on the album include "The Region," "Day-dreamin'" and "Comin' On Strong," all of which successfully rely on Lee and Berry's harmonic, back and forth vocals. As for instrumentals, two shadowy, brief dub interludes contribute to the introspective feel of the album. Fans of Hepcat's earlier, bouncier ska songs like "Bobby and Joe" will be pleased with "The Spins," a danceable, sax-heavy party song, but it's the only true get-up-and-skank song on the album. Hepcat fans and most other ska scenesters will dig Push 'N Shove, but it's also a very accessible introduction to old-school Jamaican sounds for fans of jazz, R&B and other sounds of the early '60s. - Robert Reichle
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This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
