Search - Brian Setzer, 68 Comeback Special :: Ignition

BACK ON HIS GAME AGAIN

Patrick Earley | Edmond, Oklahoma USA | 07/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's nice to see Brian Setzer back doing what he does best, good straight ahead neo-rockabilly. Coming very quick off the heels of his BS Orchestra cd "Vavoom", I thought this might be a hurriedly slapped together project. But that's not the case at all. As it turns out, this is the best material I've heard from Setzer in many years. This new stripped down trio of his sounds every bit as good and tight as the Stray Cats unit of the 80's. This CD starts out with the good rockin' title tune "Ignition". Then on the next song "5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days" he veers a little bit towards country. It reminds me a lot of the song "Six Days On The Road", but the guitar sound reminds me of Bill Kirchen from his Commander Cody days. "Hellbent" is one mean rock and roller that contains some of the most fierce guitar licks on the album. I saw him perform this song on T.V. and he just tore the house down doing this song. "Hot Rod Girl" has single written all over it. It reminds me a lot of his music from the Stray Cats days. "8 Track" is a great tune where Setzer offers up his best Slim Whitman imitation, and yodels his way through this song, and at the same time laying down some very hot and cool rockabilly licks. "59" is another song that could be single material. The cheesy lyrics have the 50's written all over it with words like "everything I have is from '59. My first guitar and that girl of mine". But the music, with it's muscular neo-rockabilly sound, is very 21st century. "Santa Rosa Rita" starts out with a nice spanish style guitar, then changes pace and goes into a full tilt rocker. The numerous rhythm changes really give it a unique sound. "Get 'Em On The Ropes" is my favorite song on the album. This is an excellent barroom type rock and roll song that has a lot of attitude. And a very catchy tune at that. "Dreamsville" is the one slow dance number here. It's another tune with a real 50's flavor to it with it's "shoop shoop wah" chorus sung by the Brianaires. The album ends with the ultra cool instrumental "Malaguena" that reminds me a little of Dick Dale with it's mean sounding surf mixed with a beautiful spanish guitar sound. Four minutes of pure delight and a great way to end a fine album. When it comes to rockabilly, Mr. Setzer has a way of putting the pretenders and wanabees in their place. He IS the King of modern rockabilly, and shows us on "Ignition" that he's back!"

Setzer Ignites!

P. Rose | Connecticut | 07/07/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Brian Setzer backtracks to the early 80's Stray Cats sound with a rockin' and reelin' new disc. Each tune is made for summer cruises in the drop top 59 Chevy. The album starts with a great opening track "Iginition" and heats it up on "5ys, 4mon, 3 days". My favorite tracks are "hot rod girl" and "59" - a somewhat autobiographical song. In classic BS style, he finishes up with a fabulous cover of "Malaguena"Brian's guitar playing is very solid and his band provides a great groove throughout the disc. This is a great summer time CD - pick it up!"

"Come back, '68!" is more like it: Setzer aches for the past

dave dawson | Burbank, CA USA | 02/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not being a big fan of swing, I was doubtful of the quality of this CD when asked to listen to it. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The title track is a great way to start off an album, and it only gets better from there, with tracks ranging from the wistful (the album's lyrical standout, "'59") to the scornful ("Get 'Em on the Ropes"). The music wallows in Setzer's trademark bluesy guitar and slide fills, welcome on tracks with goofy lyrics such as "Rooster Rock" (it's literally about being a rooster).
On the whole, the album is a bit of a departure from Setzer's "Jump, Jive and Wail" days, but the change is not bad. My personal favorite track, "(The Legend Of) Johnny Kool Part 2" is an adrenaline-soaked trip through greaser hell, chronicling the misadventures of the doomed title character as he takes on the CA fuzz. The song is great, the album is fantastic, and its a must-have for all fans of Setzer or swing/rockabilly in general."