Sometimes you wonder what the point of a release really is? I suppose Brian Setzer (he of Stray Cats fame) really doesn’t need a reason to release an album full of covers – I mean the guy has pretty much done it all with the Stray Cats and doesn’t need to justify his decision to do something which comes across as pretty pointless to me. Maybe it’s simply because he wants to pay homage to music that influenced him as he was growing up? Maybe it’s just a cynical cash-in? Who knows.
Either way, this just isn’t my thing, plain and simple. It’s clear Setzer is fantastic at what he does – each song here sounds like one of his own, such is the swagger the guy has. He’s a distinctive frontman and knows how to make someone else‘s song sound like his own. Because of that, some of the tracks here are really enjoyable. ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, obviously, is a lot of fun, while his homage to Johnny Cash is rather touching. But on the whole I just felt this was something I’d stick on once because I was intrigued, then leave it alone on a shelf to gather dust.
www.surfdogrecords.com
Paul