Fantastic Cat (from the album Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat

Fantastic Cat (from the album Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat

Fantastic Cat (from the album Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat available on Fantastic Cat/Missing Piece Records) (by Brian Rock)
Two years ago, Fantastic Cat burst onto the scene with their ambitiously titled (yet 100% accurate,) The Very Best of Fantastic Cat. So, how does a band follow up their ‘very best’? With, Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat, of course. Their new album playfully references those famous (or infamous, depending on your musical tastes) compilation albums. In doing so, Fantastic Cat elevates themselves from a mere supergroup to a genre unto themselves. And if high-energy, hook-heavy, mellifluous music was its own genre, it would be called Fantastic Cat.
Case in point: “All My Fault”. Despite the self-loathing implications of the title, the song is a joyous confession of seduction. Triads of pounding piano chords punctuate a litany of possible culprits for the amorous encounter, ‘I could blame it on the moon. I could blame it on the stars. I could blame it on the tune that was playing at the bar’. Then, with a ridiculously catchy chorus, the band finally admits ‘it’s all my fault that you kissed me. It’s all my fault that you liked it… It’s all my fault that you’re in love’. Like Bruno Mars’ “Marry You,” the song is an ebullient ode to romance.
But even when it’s not all rainbows and unicorns, Fantastic Cat finds a way to make the most of a bad situation. “Oh Man!” chronicles three mini-stories of success, failure, and tragedy. But the driving beat and soaring guitars celebrate what unites them as ‘we’re all doing the best that we can’. The piano driven “So Glad You Made It” pines for an ex-lover. But in a moment of enlightenment, the jilted lover celebrates the success of his ex- and genuinely wishes her well. “The Hammer & The Nail” incorporates Ragtime piano and Honky-Tonk pedal steel to capture the ebbs and flows of life’s fickle fortunes. “I Don’t Know Why” finds the band engaging in activities they know are wrong, yet the rollicking guitar and vocal harmonies invite us all to follow along. “Little Bit Broken” references the light hearted melodies of Weezer to mask the mental and emotional cracks that lie beneath the surface. Again, on “Edinburgh”, Fantastic Cat sings ‘everybody’s got a hard life’ all while playing airy, Philly Soul rhythms. ‘Go All Night” is a full throttle Rock and Roll anthem. Capturing the essence of Rock music, the band sings ‘there might be something really wrong with me, but I think it’s alright. Because I got a heart like an engine, and I can go all night’. Whether celebrating life’s blessings or coping with life’s setbacks, this song gives you the energy to rise to the occasion. “Later On” slows the tempo and conjures the laid-back feel of the Eagles as they salute the joy of quiet intimacy in a world where everyone is shouting for attention. The bittersweet “Sometimes Your Heroes Let You Down” captures the feel of early Jackson Browne. The poignant ballad explores disillusion. When our lover or our political hero lets us down ‘you’ll see it for what it was and we’re gonna have to find our own way now’.  Although there’s a sense of melancholy of losing someone you counted on, there’s a subtle optimism in gaining a new sense of self-reliance. Sometimes the cost of wisdom is heartache. Like all the songs on this album, the arrangement, the lyrics, the vocals are just – what’s the word? Oh, yes; Fantastic!
So, what makes Fantastic Cat so fantastic? It could be that all four members of the band are accomplished singer/songwriters. Brian Dunne, Anthony D’Amato, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali are all also lead singers, lead guitarists, rhythm guitarists, bassists, and drummers. Exchanging instruments and vocals seamlessly from song to song, Fantastic Cat is essentially a four-headed beast. And Michael Hesslein’s keyboards add flair and finesse; and although not technically ‘fantastic’, he certainly is a fabulous cat. Together, these four plus Cats fuse the Power Pop energy of The Raspberries and Cheap Trick with the cerebral Folk Rock of James Taylor and George Harrison – Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Music! With this release they unquestionably establish themselves as America’s premier Rock and Roll band. Now the only question that remains is, what to call the next album? In light of their classic Rock influences, maybe, Fantastic Cat Scratch Fever? Year of the Fantastic Cat? Fantastic Cat-mandu…? (by Brian Rock)
Listen and buy the music of Fantastic Cat from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Fantastic Cat website