Buffalo Bop's seemingly endless supply of rare rockabilly and hillbilly boogie singles has yet to fail them, and collectors of the stuff will get another 66 minutes of high-quality retro fun with
Hep Cat Rockabilly. Like their more recent volumes, 2008's
Hep Cat Rockabilly puts a bit more of an emphasis on uptempo country than purist's rockabilly, but if you're looking for solid, rollicking tunes with sharp guitar work and no scrimping on the rhythm, most everything here will fill the bill.
Harold Crosby delivers a tough gear-jammin' number with "Big Big Truck,"
Tim Dinkins celebrates the joys of abandoning monogamy on "Cattin' Tonight," while
Bill Johnson's "Pitchin' Woo" covers similar lyrical territory,
Dusty Payne tells his gal just how he feels with the help of some revved-up steel guitar on "I Want You," Coy Werley digs deep into the blues on "Rock Bottom Luck" and
the Maddy Brothers ponder their own moral decline (no, really) on "Mixed Up." There are no out-and-out duds in the 30 tunes collected here, and the remastering (mostly from vinyl discs) sounds punchy and crisp even when the original records show some obvious wear. And though (as usual) there are no liner notes (and bio information on acts as obscure as these would be most welcome), the rare photos and label scans in the liner are the next best thing.
Hep Cat Rockabilly isn't the most raucous installment in Buffalo Bop's series, but in terms of both music and production it shows their commitment to quality remains very impressive, and fans of vintage rockabilly are sure to dig it.