Spin (4/98, pp.124-125) - (6 out of 10) - "...bounces like Jamaica used to back when ska still meant playing New Orleans boogie-woogie backward: spy-movie organ instrumentals, horn melodies that do more than just gratuitously fart in the locker room, soulish vocal timbres layered with complexity and sweetness. A warm, easy sound, not rushed like '90s skacore..."
Hepcat: Deston Berry (vocals, keyboards); Greg Lee, Alex Desert (vocals); Raul Talavera (alto saxophone); Efren Santana (tenor saxophone); Kincaid Smith (trumpet); Dave Fuentes (bass).
Additional personnel: Aaron Owens, Lino Trujillo (guitar); Scott Abels (drums).
Recorded at Sound City, North Hollywood, California.
RIGHT ON TIME is the third release from Hepcat, the eminently soulful nine-piece ska collective. From the title cut's opening groove, the group plays it smooth. The same song features an answering machine message in which singer Greg Lee's father declares that the band is "on time" and downright "scientific." This likable 13-song collection has a sound true to ska's forbears and colored by touches of jazz, swing, and big band.
"The Secret" unfurls its musical tapestry with the ease and smoothness of an island wave. "Pharoah's Dreams" is a warm, up-tempo jazz-meets-ska piece. "Tommy's Song" continues in a jazzier vein, with pleasing Ellingtonian flavorings. "Together Someday" is a doo-wop number, while "Goodbye Street," "Rudies All Around," and "Mama Used to Say" will please listeners seeking a reggae fill.