Brian Setzer - Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy (2003)

After retreating to his big-band persona for 2002's Boogie Woogie Christmas, Setzer drops the horns for a leaner, more eclectic sound on this 2003 release. There is straight-ahead doo wop ("To Be Loved" features a cappella vocals with softly strummed guitar and could have come off a Persuasions album), bluegrass, '50s-style slow dance R&B ("That Someone Just Ain't You"), and of course rockabilly (the instrumental "Rat Pack Boogie" sounds as if it were written with the loungy big band in mind and "Ring, Ring, Ring" seems like a "Stray Cats" outtake). This is also the hardest-rocking Setzer album since his mid-'80s work, as he turns the volume up on rootsy guitar rockers like "Don't Trust a Woman (In a Black Cadillac)" and the bluesy ZZ Top-styled scorching leadoff track, "Sixty Years". Setzer sounds great throughout and little seems forced or calculated. Lyrically he stumbles occasionally, especially on "Sixty Years" as he lambasts the corruption of big money, hardly a unique take on the topic. He also sounds unduly angry on "Drink Whiskey and Shut Up", a song that could have been grabbed off a Reverend Horton Heat album. Setzer's guitar is rightly prominent in the mix. He displays his classic, echoed '50s style and nimble fingers, in particular on the jumpy "Smokin' 'n Burnin'". He even shifts into Ennio Morricone territory on a windswept Wild West ballad "Wild Wind", an evocative, cinematic piece that means well but tries too hard to be "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and comes up short. Regardless, this is an enjoyable and extremely varied listen from an artist in his prime who proves that he's far from a one-trick pony. Those who have followed Setzer from his early days will especially appreciate its diversity. (~ Hal Horowitz, AMG)


Tracklist:

01. Sixty Years
02. Don't Trust A Woman (In A Black Cadillac)
03. When The Bells Don't Chime
04. That Someone Just Ain't You
05. Rat Pack Boogie
06. Ring, Ring, Ring
07. Drink Whiskey And Shut Up
08. Smokin' 'N Burnin'
09. Wild Wind
10. St. Jude
11. To Be Loved
12. Jumpin' At The Capitol (Japanese bonus track)
13. When The Bells Don't Chime (Banjo Mix)

all songs written by B. Setzer except "9" by Terry Gilkeson
Produced by Dave Darling. Engineered by Jeff Peters
Recorded at Recorded at Unit A, Palm Springs, California.

• Brian Setzer - guitar, banjo, vocals
• Bernie Dresel - drums, percussion
• Johnny "Spaz" Hatton - bass

Additional musicians: Julie Reiten, Joie Shettler - background vocals.
"Jumpin' At The Capitol" features guest performances from Sid Page (violin), Tony Gamier (bass) and Greg Bissonette (drums).

Original Release Date: October 21, 2003 (Surfdog)
Audio CD: October 18, 2006
Label: Victor Entertainment