Brian Setzer‘s first solo album in the last seven years! As in the case of the album by another stray cat, Lee Rocker, the recording of the disc occurred not least due to the widespread spread of the Covid-19 virus, as a result of which all concerts were canceled, and the musicians were sent to sit alone at home and studios. As Setzer himself said, “The pandemic made me slow down; I probably wouldn’t have done it myself.” So, sitting in isolation, Comrade Setzer recorded the album remotely. Although, to be honest, it was originally planned to record only a few demos, but the producer liked them so much that he persuaded Brian to record a full album. Although Setzer agreed, he was still very skeptical about such an adventure: being, in his own words, an old-school guy, he was used to the fact that the whole group was in the same room.
I don’t really know them. I know that Dave has been Johnny Cash’s bass player for the last few years, and the drummer is from Long Island. .. The drummer was in Nashville, and the bassist was in Memphis. I didn’t expect much, but when the result was sent to me, I was quite amazed.
To be honest, when I found out about this album’s origin, I also approached the audition with very low expectations. But I was pleasantly surprised by the result. Yes, this is definitely not Brian Setzer’s best album, but in my opinion, all three of them were able to feel each other’s ideas, plus or minus, and therefore they played surprisingly well: not a single song falls below the respectable average level. And if we can say that some of the tracks here are for the amateur, it’s more likely because Setzer took a very creative approach to the sound of almost every song: the album has classic rockabilly, and with hints of bluegrass, and with a slice of jump blues, and with a drop of surf, and even with a piece of what”That’s it… either from noir, or from a spaghetti western. And all together it was called Gotta Have The Rumble (2021).
Rumble – the hum of motorcycles and hot rods. It’s me. It inspires me. But the album is also about how I miss the sound of my guitar amp humming my guitar.
Since almost all songs have their own unique sound, it seems to me that we just need to highlight the features of each of them. For example, a distinctive feature of Smash Up On Highway One is the use of motifs in the Arabic manner, which refers us to the well-known Ubangi Stomp performed by Brian himself, a Phantom and a Rocker. Or, for example, Bangalore Bop by The Hubcaps collective. At the same time, the album’s third track, Stack My Money, sounds similar to Brian’s previous album, Rockabilly Riot! All Original (especially the title track of Let’s Shake).
I was especially looking forward to the fourth song, called The Wrong Side Of The Tracks, because it was stated on Discogs that six stringed instruments took part in the recording of this track. Result… interesting. This is the very track that has something of noir or spaghetti Western in it, and I still can’t say which song reminds me more. Although, because of the text, I’m probably more inclined to a black-and-white film, the plot of which is each for himself.
In a rough and tumble world she grew up fast
Her hopes and dreams just shattered like glass
Right from the start we never had a chance
Looking for love in a forbidden romance
In any case, from my point of view, the fourth track deserves a little more attention, because it is… unusual. He stands out. I rarely hear that sound, and I liked it. It was interesting.
At number five is a song called Drip Drop. One of the reviews found this particular track to be one of the most questionable on the album. From my point of view, the backing vocals performed by Julie Setzer and Jennifer Gofors are definitely reminiscent of either doo-wop or much more classic tracks, like Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters singing together. I love doo-wop, Bing Crosby, and the Andrews sisters, so I liked Drip Drop.
But the next song, The Cat With 9 Wives, personally seemed to me the weakest on the album. I didn’t find any experiment in it, and the funny text is somehow not enough for as much as five minutes of sound. Still, there’s a reason why a standard rockabilly track doesn’t last more than three minutes. So it seemed to me that this is where the album is slightly sagging.
Turn You On, Turn Me On reminded me of the work of Bo Diddley, and the chorus, I think, is an insertion into classic rockabilly of much more modern rock motifs – especially in terms of vocals and guitar, while the rhythm section seems to be playing the same backing beat that cannot be lost. In general, it turns out an interesting combination.
Rockabilly Riot and Off Your Rocker are two more songs in which I personally have not heard the experiment. In addition, Off Your Rocker also repeats the mistake of The Cat With 9 Wives: there is not enough text for four minutes. Rockabilly Riot, fortunately, lasts only a little over three minutes, and I liked the lyrics better. It’s hotter than a hot rod and it’s Cadillac cool.
Next up is One Bad Habit, which is the song where I kind of heard a little bit of surf. I’m not sure if this is true or false, I’m not a professional critic, but I liked the sound. And the text is a very attractive, simple human call to hooliganism. Just because why not?
You need one bad habit
One bad habit like me
Try one
You might have a little fun
With one bad habit like me
Well, the final track is Rockabilly Banjo, in which Comrade Setzer changes the guitar to, in fact, a banjo. Sounds… very resolutely. It seems to me that this is definitely the most dubious song on the entire disc. Everyone should definitely form their own opinion about her.
And yes… The introductory track. I put it aside in a separate, final paragraph because the title obliges, and because it is definitely the best on the entire album. Checkered Flag is deservedly the song that gave the name to the entire disc. Perhaps it’s because this is the only track that Brian worked on in the company of James McDonnell, the one we all know more as Slim Jim Phantom. The rhythm section in this track communicates with the guitar on equal terms, and Brian himself demonstrates all his vocalist skills, sometimes switching to a very low bass, perhaps only slightly short of profundo. All this is backed up by first-class poetry: it is Checkered Flag that is the anthem to everything that every rockabilly cat loves: cars, girls, rock’n’roll.
Looking like the cover of a hot rod mag
Baby’s wrapped up in a checkered flag
All souped up and ready to drag
My baby’s wrapped up in a checkered flag
Can’t be humble, gotta have the rumble
Can’t be humble, gotta have the rumble
Finally, I can’t help but mention one notable disadvantage. Do you know, there are times when a band has to echo a line of lyrics behind a lead singer? I do not know if this technique has any special name, but the bottom line is that when it occurs on Gotta Have The Rumble, it sounds extremely weak and unnatural. Setzer decided to record the backing vocals himself in these moments, and somehow that… It doesn’t shake. Compare it with the Stray Cats album called 40, released just a couple of years ago – in the company of a Phantom and a Rocker, such moments immediately become 146 percent more lively and enjoyable.
All in all, Gotta Have The Rumble deserves credit. A great many hints and references to a wide variety of genres practically guarantee that even the most fastidious listener will find at least three or four tracks to suit his taste.Yes, the album is slightly sagging in a couple of places, but Brian, apparently, is the owner of the very talent that you can’t drink away – since the release of Ignition! 20 years have passed, and I can safely repeat the same words that I used in the review of the album by the trio Comeback Special: even The Cat With 9 Wives, which I didn’t particularly like, was objectively recorded at a level of performance that is simply physically unattainable for many.
