Hot Action Cop

HOT Action Cop singer/guitarist/leader Rob Werthner has a crazy amount of musical influences. There’s a lot of Fishbone and Red Hot Chili Peppers in the Nashville-based quartet’s hedonistic, harmony-soaked sound,coupled with a Dirty South mentality. Hot Action Cop’s self-titled debut is equal parts hip-hop and punk-funk energy. Joined in his quest for a balls-out good time by guitarist Tim Flaherty, bassist Luis Espaillat, and drummer Kory Knipp, Werthner is a versatile front-man who can pull off both syncopated rapping and blue-eyed falsetto without letting either get in the way of the song.
Hot Action Cop’s debut album is like a pre-made mixtape, with styles bumping and grinding against each other. The disc opens with the relatively straightforward metallic funk of “Doom Boom,” before exploring various directions, all rooted in hedonism and party-starting grooves. From the Jackson 5-styled funky intro of “Don’t Want Her to Stay,” to the gutter-minded and infectiously catchy “Fever for the Flava,” or the mid-tempo rocker “Busted” and the twisted groove of “Show Her,” Hot Action Cop doesn’t let up on the energy or enthusiasm until closing time. Werthner turns out the lights with the album’s closing track, “In a Little While,” a drum machine and acoustic guitar-flavored song that would be equally at home on a Beck or Everlast record. Werthner is a lot like his songs, holding nothing back and pulling no punches.