HEPCAT
Out Of Nowhere (Hellcat)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

---

Of all the Third Wave ska bands of the nineties, none surpassed Hepcat to my ears, perhaps because their ears were so well tuned to the original ska sounds of the sixties. Putting on a Hepcat record was a surefire way to turn a day in LA into a virtual night in Kingston, as they pursued a sound that skipped back over the Two-Tone era and dug straight into the source.

Hellcat has re-released Hepcat's 1993 debut recording, Out Of Nowhere, and if you missed it in its original incarnation you're in for a treat. All the elements of their later work was in place from the beginning, with sweet harmonies, solid horns and strong material. Some might dismiss the songs as derivative, but that really misses the point, because being derivative was the point. Pointing back to a previous era with updated production quality made a link to the past more accessible for Third Wave fans and reminded them that ska wasn't originally the product of London slums made for latter day mods. It's exactly that throwback quality that makes this music sound so fresh today, while the offerings of many of their contemporaries sounds so dated just a decade later.

This is really a gift from Hellcat to the world, and if you have any affection for ska of any era, it's essential listening.

Track List:

Dance Wid' Me * The Secret * Hooligans * Skavez * Miss Congeniality * Clarence Thomas * Prison Of Love * Earthquake And Fire * All For You * Skaravan (Caravan) * Policewoman * Same O' Same O' * Train To Skaville * Nigel * Club Meditation

© 2004 - Shaun Dale