Embracing American honky tonk alongside the '50s rock & roll pioneered by Sun Records, the Hot Shots paid homage to these influences across their native Japan. Old-school rockabilly combined with swank female vocals from Chie Comeda helped them build an enormous domestic audience well prior to the 1998 swing revival. This acclaim resulted in a feature within V/Search Publishing's Swing! The New Retro Renaissance, appearing alongside acts such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Royal Crown Revue. Such exposure soon attracted listeners in America, facilitated by Dionysus Records' issuance of their first album, Wise Up, Watch Out, during 1999.
