Nashville, TN's
Hot Action Cop could be the first PG-13 rap-metal crew. Sure, mouthpiece Rob Werthner yelps lines like "I'm gonna strip you down like a car in the barrio" over ear-splitting guitars and muscular drum fills. But the band's bravado isn't tainted with the intangible gloom that stains most groups of their genre (including
Limp Bizkit, an obvious influence). Rather,
Hot Action Cop's chest-thumping rap-rock has more in common with
Uplift Mofo Party Plan-era
Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're vulgar, loud, and they'll steal your girlfriend, but you're too good of friends with them to stay mad. Goofy songs like "Doom Boom" and the single, "Fever for the Flava," are harmless, high-fiving fun; "Busted" and "Face Around" are respectable remakes of
the Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge." Thankfully,
Hot Action Cop keep the social commentary to a minimum, in favor of amplified rockers tailor-made for a spring-break beer bash. ~ Johnny Loftus