Hepcat: Push 'N Shove

At its birth, ska was the product of musical miscegenation at its most potent: When a bunch of Jamaican session jazz players set their sights on American R&B, the resulting stylistic strain placed the Caribbean island firmly in the timeline of pop-music history. After all, without ska there would be no reggae, and without reggae, listeners would have been robbed of countless songwriting talents. But while Jamaican music has continued to evolve through dancehall, hip-hop, and other more contemporary sounds, artists around the globe still return to the basic building block of ska. Still, ever since the Two-Tone revolution of the late '70s, ska musicians have increasingly relied on punk as a crutch, sometimes leaving the telltale horns and the occasional offbeat guitar rhythm as the sole remnants of the music's roots while relying on speedy drums, shouted vocals, and ample distortion to draw the young crowds. That's too bad, because ska done right is as wonderful as music gets. That's all the more reason L.A.'s Hepcat warrants boundless praise. With the release of Push 'N Shove, the band extends its winning streak to four albums, impressively channeling the spirit of The Skatalites and rock-steady pioneer Desmond Dekker through its infectious, eerily authentic songs. Like a good deal of '50s R&B and doo-wop, Hepcat's lyrics typically aren't much more than romantic musings, but the care with which they're presented on "Prison Of Love," "Daydreamin'," and the title track resonates like the best classic ska. With a couple of covers and a handful of instrumentals rounding out the set, Hepcat once again reveals that, yes, they do make 'em like they used to.