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Wall Street Journal Review and Album Preview


Let's Shake! - Good opening track.  High energy.  Kevin effing McKendree is back!  This catchy tune sounds like it could be licensed or co-opted for some kind of ad campaign down the road.  (Hopefully not for the ShakeWeight!)

Rockabilly Blues - Mark Winchester and Noah Levy get a little solo love.  Title deceives you a bit, as it is not bluesy, but 100% driving rockabilly.

Vinyl Records - Sounds a bit like the Hot Rod Girl is back, except in this tune she's called Flatfoot Sam.  Another fun song with that Setzer sense of humor.  Kevin McKendree gives this album the feel of those few months at Sun Studios where Jerry Lee Lewis was hangin' around the studio as a session man, lighting a fire under records by Carl Perkins and Billy Lee Riley.

Lemme Slide - I love it!  No slide guitar, just some great jump blues.  Reminds me of a Louie Jordan record with a guitar in place of the horns.

Four songs in, and I'm all set, sir!  (Or is it all Setzer?)

Nothing is a Sure Thing - Sounds a little like Cross of Love mixed in with Please Don't Touch.  30+ albums in, sooner or later you gotta borrow from yourself.  Plenty of signature Setzer licks.  

What's Her Name? - There seems to be a common thread through the first part of the album, which is to not take yourself too seriously.  It reminds me of "13" in that respect where they had songs like Piece of Junk, We Are the Marauders, Really Rock-a-Billy and the Hennepin Ave Bridge song.  Plenty of humor in this song and most of the album so far.  It sounds a bit like Johnny Kidd's Shakin' All Over with the driving piano.

What's the rockabilly equivalent of Louis Jordan?  Jerry Reed?  Phenomenal musicianship and plenty of laughs.  

Aw, hell.  I can't write this thing on the fly during the first listen!  Check it out yo' self!  It ain't Son of Ignition, which most people hail as Setzer's solo non-BSO masterpiece, but it sure is a lot of fun.  Enjoy!

Shoot, I can't help myself.

Girl With the Blues in Her Eyes.  A serious introspective song.  Sounds a little like classic Glen Campbell.

Stiletto Cool - Rockin' and a-Swingin'.  Not overtly humorous, but another classic character created in the Setzerverse.

I Shoulda Had a V-8 - Even the title elicits a smirk.  As the article suggests, Johnny Horton's channeled for much of the song.  

Blue Lights, Big City - Sounds a lot like Decca-era Buddy Holly's "Blue Days, Black Nights."  A little more laid back, though.  

Cock-a-Doodle Don't - As you might imagine from the title, there's plenty of pickin' on the album's closer.  As I get through the album I get more and more drawn to the Jerry Reed comparison.  It's like the Anti-Nitro-Burnin'-Funny-Daddy album.  As dark as that album would get in places, this album goes the other way with its sense of humor throughout.

I'll probably throw out a more thoughtful review next week.  Admittedly, I haven't had a chance to lock in on the superb talents on this album.  I think I was hoping to be more blown away, especially with Mark Winchester and Kevin McKendree.  Noah Levy's a great drummer, but he's afflicted with the disease that almost every Setzer drummer has ever had:  Not-Bernie-Dresel-Disease. It's an unfair comparison, especially on first listen through crappy computer speakers, but it will hound every drummer not named Bernie Dresel on every Setzer album pre and post-Bernie.  (Slim Jim gets a bit of a pass because he's a Stray Cat and probably a vampire.)  

I don't know how this record measures up to previous non-BSO records.  I think for me, time will tell.  I loved the versatility of Instru-mental.  I thoroughly enjoyed 13 more than most Setzer fans I've polled.  Rockabilly Riot Part 1 was a covers album of some of the greatest songs ever, so that's a tough one to compare.  Regardless of where it lines up against other Setzer albums, I know it will get played more than 90% the albums of my music library.  Cheers, Brian! It's good to have you back!    


Laugh Riot-a-billy

Good Review. Thank you.

i needed 3 times of listening before it really got me.
Guitar work and sound is excellent.
My favorite song is "Girl with the Blues in her eyes"

Took me a few listens after the first listen thinking it was a bit dodgy, but i really love it now.

Rickabilly wrote:

Wall Street Journal Review and Album Preview


Noah Levy's a great drummer, but he's afflicted with the disease that almost every Setzer drummer has ever had:  Not-Bernie-Dresel-Disease. It's an unfair comparison, especially on first listen through crappy computer speakers, but it will hound every drummer not named Bernie Dresel on every Setzer album pre and post-Bernie.

Absolute nonsense. Having listened to this album non stop all week, there is absolutely no doubt that Levy is far superior. When are you going to stop this boring and repetitive Dresel love in?

Levy and Dresel have different styles.

I guess Bernie is highly missed because no drummer has topped him so far, specially in the BSO - no Tony Pia, no Daniel Glass.

However, when it comes to a Trio/Quartet section, I believe it is a bit easier to replace a drummer. I enjoyed Bernie very much, but Noah hasn't done it badly, rather the contrary.

Would have been the album better if Bernie had been on?? Who knows, but so far Noah as done an awesome job.
I like his vitality live!

I'll never stop "beating the drum" for Bernie Dresel.  I also don't ever expect him back into the Setzer fold, so it is a bit of pointless whining to keep bringing him up.  I remember the completely idiotic "Slim Jim is better than Bernie" discussions from years back, and don't intend to participate in that nonsense again.  

Noah Levy is an extremely versatile drummer and a great talent.  I loved his work on Instru-Mental, and I think he did well on Riot Original.  The position of Bernie Dresel being a superior talent is an opinion which can be easily defended, (resume, education, body of work, versatility, industry-wide respect) but it really isn't an argument suited for the discussion of this album, as Bernie wasn't involved in the project at all.  It's not fair to Noah.  And writing what I did, in the middle of listening to the album for the very first time through computer speakers, doing more writing than listening, wasn't terribly responsible, though I wonder if media reviewers with deadlines don't do pretty much the same thing.

I think I was looking for a stronger, DJ Fontana-like attack on some of the more driving rockabilly tracks.  But I agree with Brian's description of Noah being more of a "swampy" drummer, and I think that his more laid-back approach works on a lot of the tunes that have to go at a slower tempo, if for no other reason than to get all of the lyrics in.  I just received my Japanese edition a few minutes ago, so after a few more thoughtful listens I intend to write a more detailed impression of the album, focusing on the people who played on the album rather than those who didn't.

Kenny Aronoff-a-billy

I'm so lovin the album. First time I heard it it was pretty good, second time, hey I really like this, by the third time, man, I love this.
Well now I've probably played the whole album about 20 times and it's on my mind day and night. Found myself humming The Girl With The Blues In Her Eyes when I should have been trying to sleep last night hahaha. Such an awesome album, A+ from me.

Fantastic record, really !

Rockabiily Blues for Noah & Mark's solos
Blue Lights, Big City for the "I'm Right You're left She's gone" side
Calamity Jane for the "saloon" sound of Kevin
Cock-A-Doodle Don't for the great final
At this point, this 4 songs are probably a little "greatest". But it's just the first days...

I hope all the fans are glad and proud with this beautiful album.

Anyway, Brian is amazing on every song (the guitar hero AND the singer)

Rickabilly wrote:

I'll never stop "beating the drum" for Bernie Dresel.  I also don't ever expect him back into the Setzer fold, so it is a bit of pointless whining to keep bringing him up.  I remember the completely idiotic "Slim Jim is better than Bernie" discussions from years back, and don't intend to participate in that nonsense again.  

Fantastic stuff! Just when it seems you were being a little bit humble, you still had to have another little dig, didn't you Rickabilly. Opinions are just that but you just can't help yourself from putting down others can you? You know my opinion - Slim Jim Phantom is twice the drummer that Bernie Dresel is. I'm entitled to mine, and you are entitled to yours. Difference is, I'd never refer to your differing opinion as "nonsense". Years back it might have been, but it still stands, and you just can't take it that someone has a different opinion to you.

I am not an idiot and my opinion is not "completely idiotic". Your rudeness is not appreciated.

For what it's worth, my personal favourites on the album are "Should A Had A V8" with "Let's Shake" in second place.

Quote :

Swansea City
Difference is, I'd never refer to your differing opinion as "nonsense".

Except when you did.

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Swansea City
Absolute nonsense. Having listened to this album non stop all week, there is absolutely no doubt that Levy is far superior. When are you going to stop this boring and repetitive Dresel love in?

How is being condescending toward my opinion (before I even brought up the SJP discussion) any different?

For the record, when I brought up the SJP vs. Bernie debate, I swear I didn't remember that it was you who started that skirmish years ago, but given the context of the Levy-Dresel discussion, I should have figured that out.  It wasn't meant to be an attack on you personally, but I feel so very strongly about my opinions on that debate, having pursued a degree in music education and having years of formal musical training, that I admit to being unnecessarily condescending comparing versatility, technique, education, body of work, etc.  Could SJP be the full-time drummer for the BSO?  No.  Could Bernie Dresel record several incredible rockabilly albums with Brian Setzer?  Yes, and he did.  I can "take it" that your opinion differs from mine.  But I see nothing wrong with explaining my opinion in greater detail.

As for using the word "idiotic" in describing all opinions contrary to mine on the subject, I will apologize for that.  It was one word in a small throwaway comment in one of my typically long-winded responses.  But it clearly struck a nerve with you.  For that, I am sorry.

Liking the album more each time I listen.  Maybe I should write about that, eh?

Blah Blah Blah-billy

Anybody else recognize those black jackets the gang is wearing on cover of the  new album? And in case you're wondering... That  truck roof Brian is standing in front of is a Kenworth K100 cabover and quite collectable these days.

jackets are from Rockmount!

Brian wore one in the Country Bears movie.

I try to pretend that movie never happened

This black jacket makes me think to the one on "Rockin' By Myself", no ?