Whisky Cats: Whisky Cats

Elly Roberts reviews

Whisky Cats: Whisky CatsDistributed by
Medical Records

• Released: May 2008
• Rating: 6/10
• Vote and comment on this album:View Comments

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Whisky Cats aren’t exactly yer run-of-the-mill band.

And that’s why mainstream success might elude them, well, for now anyway.

There are snippets of potential on offer though, like the rhythmic groove of Steady Freeloader, which if slightly re-mixedwould make a corking single. Its lightweight thrust and funky basslines are reminiscent of Freak Power’s Turn On, Tune,Cop Out (1993) and something from 1970’s Climax Blues Band.

Their quirky sojourns, as fascinating as they are, may be their Achilles heel, such as they the vaudeville-esque and punchyContradictions and playful Amsterdam, no to be confused with the Beautiful South’s of the same title, oh and the bouncy InThis Cellar.

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When they play it down the middle, they strike gold, such as the free-flowing acoustic driven belter Locked Out Lover.The cool brass drop-ins which eventually end up counter-pointing each other at a frenetic pace towards its close areabsolutely sublime as they ghost most of the track. Things go a bit bonkers once again on a rush-happy tribute to theSpecials – Madness, throughout the fluidity and panache of Dirtboy The Queen, which is a real blast.

On a few songs LockedOut Lover and the sensational ballad Bint, Matthew Whitaker’s singing is outstanding, on what is arguably the album’sjewel in the crown. Slippers is out of the Scott Joplin songbook, a rousing piano interlude of serious importance if youwant to show your diversity, so let’s hope they get a lucky break, because they’re very original, very competent, verytalented, and great fun.

There again, the CD cover tells it all.

The Verdict – Irresistible…. Watch this space.

Weblinks:whiskycats.co.uk /myspace.com/whiskycats

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The full list of tracks included are :

1. Slipped Disco
2. Amsterdam
3. Steady Freeloader
4. Contradictions
5. Lock Out Lover
6. Dirtboy The Filth Queen
7. Y*s To F**k
8. Bint
9. In This Chair
10. Plasticine Magazine
11. Slippers
12. God Of The VacuumView the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>

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