Search - Brian Setzer :: Brian Setzer Orchestra

Mr Seltzer- if not the king of Blues, surely a Crown Prince!

Catherine S. Vodrey | 10/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this a month early for my husband's birthday. I couldn't wait to give it to him and I am glad that I didn't-- we had a Brian Seltzer weekend and this is a fantastic CD! I can't say that any CD is better-- he poured his love and talent into each one, this no exception. I am six months pregnant and my BABY loves this. If I move to the music, he doesn't and if I don't move, he rocks! The music is great to dance to and improves coordination because it is easy to pick up the beat. His background singers are great and blend well. It's amazing.I know very little about music, but I know what I like and this is it!"

Swinging

Russell Diederich | Littleton, CO United States | 12/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brian Setzer might not have been the person to revitalize big band and swing, but he sure gave it his best. This is the first installment of the Brian Setzer Orchestra showcasing a 19-piece big band. If you miss the big band sound, or just like to hear a lot of horns in your music, you will not go wrong in getting this album. Setzer wrote nearly half the music that appears on this album, and he's nearly as good with a pen as he is with a guitar. There are some great tunes to be found here, in fact there isn't a single dud, and they all swing. The BSO tears it up with "Brand New Cadillac", a great cover of "Route 66", and "Sitting On It All the Time". He also slows it down with "September Skies", "There's a Rainbow `Round My Shoulder", and "A Nightingale Sand In Berkeley Square". If you're looking for an album that can fit any mood you're in, this is it. Setzer is a pro at mixing up his songs so you don't feel like you're getting an hour of the same stuff over and over again. He melds well with his orchestra, and these guys shine when they step forward to take their solos. This is one fun album to listen to."

A fabulously retro album with guitar front and center!

Catherine S. Vodrey | East Liverpool, Ohio United States | 09/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brian Setzer, late of the 1980s band Stray Cats, has come up with some great 1950s big-band sounds on "The Brian Setzer Orchestra." He takes a 19-piece band--complete with saxophones, trumpets, piano, great drums, and everything else--and adds in electric guitar. The effect is, well, electrifying. The guitar jump-starts the classics he covers here and adds a modern sound to the tunes he's penned himself.Stand-outs on this album include "Ball and Chain," a Setzer tune that turns the tables on the usual "guy feels tied down by the woman" set-up and makes the guy yearning for more commitment from his lover. "Good-Rockin' Daddy" has a rockabilly feel with swaying trumpet work and singing by Setzer that clearly shows he's having a grand time. "September Skies" has lovely strings and a moonlight-over-the-ocean atmosphere to it. The guitar work here is restrained and delicate, and adds a great deal to the somewhat tropical feel of the song. "Brand New Cadillac" starts off with a "Theme from Peter Gunn" feel--the song just SOUNDS like big trouble and is great fun. Setzer's surprisingly jaunty version of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a genuine treat--I'd only ever heard this song done in a sort of mournful, yearning way, but he turns it into an upbeat delight. Setzer is not possessed of the greatest voice for big-band work. It's a little thin on the upper register and not always rich enough to stand up to the enormous sound of the band--but he does well enough, and that's good enough here for what turns out to be a surprisingly wonderful album."