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Hot Action Cop are singer Rob
Werthner, guitarist Tim Flaherty, Bass Luis Espaillat
and drummer Kory Knipp (that really is his name). Rob
is originally from New York but now resides with the
rest of the band in Nashville, home of country
music.
This, their first, self-titled
album is a concoction of 12 hip-hop, rock based, funk
and acoustic tinged songs, mostly about sex and women.
Germaine Greer will not be playing it before she goes
out on a Friday night and it will not be on The Mary
Whitehouse Christmas album. At first listen it is
probably an album that the kids of America will be
playing during their Spring break, which like this
will be saturated with booze and sex. There is even an
advert, in the inlay, for fans to send pictures of
their naked girlfriends to the band at their home
address. It's that kind of album.
As we all know, things are not
always what they seem at first. It is true that this
album has a lot of toilet humour in it. Witness: "She's the
greatest, mostest, beautifulest piece of ass in the
world, oh...". But if you scratch the surface, there is
more than the shallow misgivings of a teenage boy.
The musicians are blatantly good
at what they do. The seven-string guitar of Tim
Flaherty adds depth to the rock anthems and clarity to
the softer numbers. The songs are well written, the
guitar lines and riffs in the heavier songs with the
rap vocals like Doom Boom make your head nod
involuntarily. It is on their softer, more rock based
infusions where I think Hot Action Cop are at their
best. The opening riffs to Busted and Why Judy are
pure Red Hot Chili Peppers at their Under The
Bridge best, which is a good thing. The similarities
and comparisons don't end there. You can also hear
Fred Durst when he raps, and the break-off club
slut is early Metallica.
The record is scattered
with coarseness and doesn't waste time with innuendo, but
there is humour of a slightly higher class. The lyrics
in Show Her talk of the Brady bunch as a bunch of pot
smoking, LSD taking, sci-fi porn watching freaks. At
the same time there is the social commentary of
teenage angst in Busted:
"Little baby lost to world outside/ trying not to let
anyone inside/ only love you get is from a TV set/ and
it makes you crazy." Okay, not Roger Waters, but
still poignant.
Hidden at the end of the album
is an acoustic ballad about love and loss that
completely contrasts the other tracks on the album. In
A Little While shows the softer, reflective side that
is obviously trying to get out of Rob Werthner. The
contrasting styles, from rap to balladry, show off his
versaltile voice.
The single, Fever For The Flava,
is the weakest
track - a funk rock rap record that is annoying,
childish and, quite frankly, crap. It has a catchy
enough chorus, but why release it as a single? Whilst
bringing on board a few fans through the sexy video,
it will surely alienate more. Maybe I will be proved
wrong and more people will hear this party album that
has a lot more to offer than a three-minute joke video.
They are not going to go down in rock history but if
you like Limp Bizkit or the
Chili Peppers and American Pie humour, this is
well worth a listen.
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