Barnes & Noble
Brian Setzer isn't the kind of guy who goes out of his way to blend in, as anyone who's charted the pompadoured and tattooed guitar-slinger's path for the past two and a half decades can attest. Best known for introducing the adrenaline-soaked vibe of classic rockabilly to succeeding generations with the Stray Cats, Setzer has swaggered through his solo career with one foot planted in that tradition and the other ready to kick the shins of anyone intent on nailing him down in any territory. Sure, parts of 13 hark back to the heyday of Sun Records -- especially "We Are the Marauders" (a song Setzer wrote for a Pennsylvania band that struck his fancy), which spits and snarls like a moonshine-dosed Rottweiler. Then again, the acerbic ribbing of "Really Rockabilly" -- a twang-centric ditty that takes the piss out of overly fashion-conscious revivalists -- proves that Setzer's calendar isn't stuck on the page marked December 1956. The guitarist emphasizes that point by shifting into gnarled blues-rock mode on the jut-jawed "Drugs and Alcohol (Bullet Holes)" and even shelves his six-string in favor of a banjo to hotfoot it through "Bad Bad Girl." Some of Setzer's forays go awry -- the new wavey "Rocket Cathedrals," for instance, has a decidedly saccharine aftertaste -- but when he hits his stride, as he does on the charming "Hennepin Avenue Bridge," he can make the 1920s sound like the most rockin' era ever. David Sprague
Barnes & Noble
Mincing no words, riffs, hot licks, or attitude, Brian Setzer's 13th studio album ranges far and wide stylistically, kicking butt and taking names. The fury of his six-string assault begins right off the bat, with the rich, full chording that summons "Drugs & Alcohol (Bullet Holes)" and immediately evolves into a fuzzed-out, staccato attack of blistering notes, setting up Setzer's seriocomic tale of a wanton 16-year-old rabble rouser. Stray Cat compadre Slim Jim Phantom provides a sturdy bottom for "Really Rockabilly," a merciless putdown of '50s-style poseurs, complete with running guitar commentary referencing both Scotty Moore and Link Wray in one robust swoop. A tasty, two-minute instrumental, "Mini Bar Blues," is a swinging, pop-jazz theme-and-variation workout that tips its hat to Les Paul's innovative, multitracked stylings. On the thundering hard rocker "Back Streets of Tokyo," Setzer's big chords get a run for their money from an equally brutal volley returned by Japanese guitar hero Tomoyasu Hotei. The jumping jive of "When Hepcats Gets the Blues" harks back to Setzer's explorations of big band swing, with a spirited arrangement reminiscent of Louis Jordan, spiced by Setzer's flurry of cascading runs and warm, Jimmy Smith-style organ solos fleshing out the mix. Following a bruising southern rock excursion that pays homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd's no-holds-barred attack ("Everybody's Up to Something"), Setzer signs off with a laconic, good-natured reminiscence, "The Hennepin Avenue Bridge," in a shambling arrangement keyed by -- yes -- banjo, mandolin and tuba. If Setzer's aim was to go hard, go long, and be real, then he's succeeded in spades. David McGee
All Music Guide
Throughout his career, Brian Setzer has successfully led two bands that have explored, and expanded upon, specific areas of pre-'60s American music: the Stray Cats virtually created the rockabilly revival of the '80s and the Brian Setzer Orchestra mined and updated the big band swing and jump-boogie of the '40s. In both contexts, the prescient Setzer proved a winner, an inspired and knowledgeable craftsman armed with truckloads of sizzling, pinpointed guitar licks and terrific songs. On occasion he's chosen, with mixed results, to break out of those molds and piece together solo albums that extend his reach into more mainstream, albeit still retro-based areas of rock. His first, 1986's The Knife Feels Like Justice, was a left-field surprise that seemed to indicate that Setzer was primed to abandon, at least partially, his obsession with the past and to try his luck in the modern rock world. That didn't quite happen, as he returned repeatedly to the more familiar territory, but on 13 -- so named because it's his 13th studio album of new material -- Setzer once again branches out, and this time he's got the balance just right. 13 is stocked with 13 (of course) diverse tracks gliding easily from straight-ahead rock & roll (among the best: "Rocket Cathedrals," "Broken Down Piece of Junk" and the anthemic "We Are the Marauders," which declares that "American Idol is a bunch of crap") to slick instrumental blues ("Mini Bar Blues"). That doesn't mean he leaves the vintage Americana behind, but one of the album's strongest tunes, the hilarious "Really Rockabilly" (which includes Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom) leaves no doubt that Setzer's fed up with the many poseurs who've co-opted and diluted the style without having much of a clue about its origins or rebel spirit. Just to show them how it's really done, he unleashes a series of short-burst licks that provide a crash course in rockabilly guitar. "Don't Say You Love Me" crosses harmonic pop/rock with smooth rockabilly economy, and "When Hepcat Gets the Blues" walks the tightrope between Stray Cats and BSO territory. But although several songs touch on familiar ground, 13 is not intended to be, not does it feel like, a rockabilly or swing album. The opening track, the crunching "Drugs and Alcohol (Bullet Holes)" (it's anything but an endorsement of said substances) takes a look at the hard life of a high-schooler who's been through way too much, while "Everybody's Up to Somethin'," with its stacked Southern rock-style guitars, casts just about everyone into the role of no-goodnik. Setzer closes out 13 with the mostly acoustic "The Hennepin Avenue Bridge," something that might have felt at home in the early-'60s folk revival. Gotta keep 'em guessing, after all. ~ Jeff Tamarin, All Music Guide
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