Track Listing

1. Drugs & Alcohol (Bullet Holes)
2. Take A Chance On Love
3. Broken Down Piece Of Junk
4. We Are The Marauders
5. Don't Say You Love Me
6. Really Rockabilly
7. Rocket Cathedrals
8. Mini Bar Blues
9. Bad Bad Girl (In A Bad Bad World)
10. When Hepcat Gets The Blues
11. Back Streets Of Tokyo
12. Everybody's Up To Somethin'
13. The Hennepin Avenue Bridge

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102355 in Music
• Released on: 2006-10-24
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Fans of Setzer's prior work will be blown away by the versatility he demonstrates on this, his 13th album of original material. A kick-ass guitar, bass, and drums rock record featuring unbelievable playing and solid songwriting. All 13 tracks have a unique feel, from southern influenced to classic rock/new wave to almost metal. Includes a guest appearance by Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom on "Really Rockabilly". Brian has sold over 12 million records throughout his 25-year career and "13" is sure to continue the lucky streak. Look for him on tour in the US beginning in November and continuing into 2007.

Amazon.com
After successfully reinventing himself as a guitar-slinging, martini-toasting, tattooed, jumpin' jive crooner, ex-Stray Cat frontman Brian Setzer struts his rocking rebel persona into a slightly altered groove. Despite the unimaginative title, the singer/guitarist's 13th album (with 13 songs, natch) is an attempt to bring his reverb-drenched rumble to a tougher, less stylized persona. Some of it connects as a combination of Gov't Mule's '70s riffage with a twang accent, as on the pumped up "Everybody's Up to Somethin'" and the opening salvo of "Drugs and Alcohol (Bullet Holes)." But Setzer seems to be forcing these songs, especially vocally, desperate to avoid being pigeonholed as a two-trick pony. Much better is the rugged rockabilly of "Take a Chance on Love" and the muscular street-gang switchblade of "We Are the Marauders." There's a '50s rumble to "Don't Say You Love Me" that seems like a Stray Cats leftover now beefed up for a more potent attack. "Really Rockabilly" skewers the purists that want to force Setzer into his old genre ("he wears 1956 underwear") but when he strides into jazz mode on "Mini Bar Blues," the album's only instrumental, it's a fresh breath of '50s air next to the simplistic lyrics and fist-pounding tempo of the following "Bad Bad Girl." You can't fault the artist for pushing his boundaries, but this eclectic collection wants to have it both ways; keeping his old fans satiated with Setzer-certified hipster swing, such as "When Hepcat Gets the Blues," while aiming for a broader appeal with his less successful stab at dated, if effectively stripped down, hard rock. --Hal Horowitz

Customer Reviews

A tad dissapointed
I was really looking forward to Brian's latest disc, but was overall disappointed when I listen through its entirety. It just did not seem fun, like many of his previous albums. The songs seemed rather tired, and they tend to start sounding the same near the end of the record. I see he has a new BSO album coming out, so I hope that offering will be much better than this...at least I would hope. For those who are new to Brian's work, I would suggest his "Comeback Special" which was excellent, or one of his early BSO project albums, such as "Guitar Slinger".

Not what I expected
I had heard about this Cd in a supplement to my local Sunday newspaper and it sounded interesting. I am a Brian Setzer fan since the Stray Cats
days and have his solo work after the Cats plus the Big Band music which I love. This Cd and the Nitro Burnin' Cd just aren't that appealing to me.
For great music Brian's Ignition Cd rocks plus I'm looking forward to his take on classical music in his new Cd coming out soon. He is an amazing guitarist and I love to hear him play but this Cd misses the mark.

Great expansion of style
I love the rockabilly and big band stuff that Brian's been putting out for a while now. But even a great sound can get stale. I think Brian knew it was time to shake things up. Sounds like he may have closed a musical chapter in his life by going full retro with Rockabilly Riot and opened a new one with 13. I love the variety and the fact that he's using some really muscular guitar work on this disk. He gives many of the hard rock guitar gods a run for their money but without the horible vocals and bombastic drumming that often accompanies hard rock guitar heroes. I can't get enough of this disk. I hear that Brian's next project will be to reimagine classical music. Can't wait. What's next Brian, polka or reggaeton?