Gretsch master Brian Setzer’s fi rst-ever all-instrumental album opens with a superb rockabilly/Texas swing take on Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” a song that has seen as many incarnations as Setzer has. This is a serious guitar record, but it also showcases the artist’s many musical moods: Big-band jazz, distorted rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass picking, surf noir, and Stray Catsera rockabilly are all showcased on this joyful collection of stellar covers and inspired originals.
BARBARA SCHULTZ