"DEAD MAN INCORPORATED riding on the TROUBLE TRAIN down that LONELY AVENUE and while MR. JAZZER GOES SURFIN' it's like MR. JAZZER GOES JAZZIN', feeling like the KING OF THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD and all the DIMES IN THE JAR display the PASSION OF THE NIGHT and ELENA, yes, MY BABY DON'T LOVE ME BLUES but I don't care 'cause we're LOVE PARTNERS IN CRIME."

THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA - "SONGS FROM LONELY AVENUE"
("Surfdog Inc."; CD):

Here it is, the still current release of the almighty BRIAN SETZER respectively of him and his great THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA. This one was released already back then in 2009 but for all what I know it's still the 'hot & new', the current release of him and his orchestra today and so there are more than only a few enough reasons for me to review it also at this current day here and now on and up here. That BRIAN SETZER is no-one else than the lead singer and guitar player (and maybe some sort of the mastermind of or behind) the STRAY CATS should be clear for everyone of you out there. (As well as that I'm a huge, huge fan of the STRAY CATS.) Many years ago (sounds like a fairy tale or so, doesn't it...) he formed the BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA and pretty much broke out or away of or from the world of (Neo) Rockabilly and moved onwards heavily into the world of Swing, Jazz and in general Big Band music, but without denying his roots, and that's exactly what BRIAN SETZER with his orchestra, THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA, still does (or are doing) today. So, okay, I saw it and never bought it before due to the really pretty high price (something like 18,99 Euro is pretty expensive for a- also even just 'regular'- music CD anyhow everywhere anytime, and 'cheaper' the record isn't normally also today), and also because in all the oh so 'true' Rockabilly and especially Psychobilly fanzines and magazines I do know I've only read 'bad ending reviews' of or about this album. Puh, but what a bunch of stupid nutjobs this reviewers turned out to be!!! But maybe they all proofed to be really 'true' guys... Okay, how-ever: I got aware of it as soon as I bought this album. And what BRIAN SETZER and THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA are showcasing us here is a fantastic and brilliant and, yes, a sheer phenomenal display of heart and soul, emotions and passion, as well as also an incredible display of impressive and unbelievable great skills when it comes to the songwriting abilities as well as also when it comes to the technical skills of the involved and participating musicians when it's about playing their instruments on a level that high that it will truly make you hold your breath. Awesome!!! The three major (hm, let us call it:) trademarks are the following three ingredients: First and foremost the stand-alone and outshining guitar playing of BRIAN SETZER himself, one of the few very, very best stuff I've ever had the luck to listen to. It's incredible how he manages it to melt the biggest and soul- and heartful emotions and the most cool solos and cool to heavy to sweet leads into each other and how he also manages to work some Jeff "ANNIHILATOR" Waters styled damn heavy riffing into a 'floffy' and danceable as fuck Swing anthem like "DEAD MAN INCORPORATED" and how it all flows completly without any kind of 'breaks' , that's all just damn great. Also how much heart, soul, emotions and pure passion you find in his guitar playing, awesome, and that it's all done on a incredible high and great level of skills should latest by now be clear to everyone outta there reading this here and now. The second trademark are the lead vocals of BRIAN SETZER that are really just brilliant and grapping stuff, no doubt about it, and it's just amazing how he delivers so much style and coolness and also heart and soul and just pure passion for the lyrics, the songs, the music, and the topics he sings about with his voice and his style of singing. Again, there's just one word to say about it: Awesome!!! And the third major trademark is the everything outshining Big Band, from Swing to Jazz, from Soul to Surf this guys know it all and they can do it all and they do it all, you really just have to love it if you only have at least some 'few proper taste' in music. Brilliant!!! (To use another word then awesome again.) And all is backed up by a stylish, a cool, a damn well-versed and so incredible rich on variations being rhythm section that's just the hit of the highscore again and again and over and over again. Phenomenal!!! Swing and Jazz are the most prominent music genres that can be found here, but also Soul and Surf, and the Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll roots of BRIAN SETZER are present also over and over again. From cool to romantic stuff THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA know and do it all, and also the songwriting is just larger than life (as well as the technical skills of the musicians, as already above mentioned one or two times before), and so the album is packed up full of or with grapping suprises, demanding and challenging twists and turns and overwhelming clever arrangements, so that this album is grapping you and holds this grab on you over the complete distance of the full length album. Lyrically there are a big bunch of great little stories told, all done very cool and just great and also on a damn high level, the artwork looks just damn good (even it could have been a little bit more 'creative' and less 'egocentric' after all not at least because hey we are talking here about THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA and not just about BRIAN SETZER so with a look at the cover and all the other photos shown you really start to ask yourself where's this whole orchestra anyhow), and the great clear and clean production sound is just a pure beauty that perfectly fits to the music. If you still don't call this record your own and if you have especially at least only a small faible for Swing and Jazz music (with some Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll roots to it, and Soul and Surf impressions in it) then you really should change it and get this album here as soon as possible. I love this shit, even BRIAN SETZER also is not the new DEAN MARTIN and will probably never ever become it... so this here is no new "King of Cool" album, nah, be sure that it's not, but it's a great and a truly larger than life album that really and truly everyone with a at least good and better taste in music should call his or her own. Get it!!! And to use this word or term now here for the last time again: Awesome!!! (10 of 10 points)
(http://www.myspace.com/bsoxmas)
(http://www.myspace.com/briansetzer)