Album Review: Brian Setzer - "Gotta Have The Rumble"

 

As you'll know if you read this thing yesterday, we were waxing lyrical about Brian's classic The Knife Feels Like Justice in last week's Garbage Days Revisited and about how it helped your correspondent through a particularly tough time in his life. However, recent years have seen Brian very much working out what works best for him and sticking to it. Not that the results have necessary been particularly bad - certainly 2018's Stray Cats album 40 was a much better effort than it had any right to be - but when you're running on a set formula, you need to deliver the goods to avoid slipping into predictability.

I'm happy to say though that Gotta Have The Rumble definitely delivers those goods. There's a real straight up energy to it that's impressive given that Setzer is now in his fifth decade of making music from the trademark Setzer strut of opener Checkered Flag to the skittering Cramps-esque Smash Up On Highway One. The quality standard remains high throughout from the sinister film noir feel of Wrong Side Of The Tracks to the self-explanatory Rockabilly Riot. There's the occasional track like Drip Drop which lapses into Setzer-by-numbers but overall, this is a full force slice of souped up rockabilly that's a worthy addition to his extensive back catalogue. Even the cornball humour of songs like The Cat With 9 Wives and Off Your Rocker comes across as genuinely enjoyable rather than cringy which is always a sign that you're having a good time listening to an album.

Overall, a well produced, well played and well written album that fires out of the speakers like a brand new V-Twin - sure it ain't anything you won't expect from Brian but he's on good form here and there's plenty of engaging tunes and hooks to sink into your brain and reel you back in for a second listen in short order. Good to have you back with us feller.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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