Songs from Lonely Avenue

Personnel: Brian Setzer (vocals, guitar); Julie Reiten (vocals); Eddie Nichols (spoken vocals); Al Hershberger, Henry Gronnier, Nina Evtuhov, Christine E. Frank, Ralph Morrison III, Agnes Gottschewski, Lisa M. Sutton , Susan Rishik, Tereza Stanislav (violin); Matthew Funes , Dave Walther (viola); Stephen Erdody , Cecilia Tsan (cello); Eric J. Morones, Matthew Zebley (flute, clarinet, alto saxophone); Charlie Peterson (clarinet, baritone saxophone); Jim Youngstrom (bass clarinet, tenor saxophone); Kevin Norton , Steve Reid , Kevin Norton , Brian Scanlon, Jamie Hovorka (trumpet); Kerry Loeschen, Francisco Torres, Jeremy Levy , Jason Thor (trombone); Robbie Hioki (bass trombone); Dave Hagedorn (vibraphone); Tony Pia, Noah Levy (drums).
Audio Mixer: Dave Darling.
Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Conway Studios, Hollywood, CA; Underwood Studios, Minneapolis, MN; Winterland Studios, Minneapolis, MN.
Three decades into his career, Brian Setzer's sound is so well-established that his only trump card lies in formal aesthetic experiments, and he pulls out a doozy with 2009's SONGS FROM LONELY AVENUE. Far from being a Doc Pomus tribute album, LONELY AVENUE is a "soundtrack to an unwritten film," an album equally inspired by '50s film noirs, R&B, and rock & roll, a conceptual stroll through smoky clubs and dimly lit back alleys. There are no surprising sounds here -- Setzer hauls out his jump blues and slow-crawling ballads -- but that doesn't mean this is tired: Setzer is reinvigorated by his concept, turning in his first collection of all-original material in his entire career. Although the songs are essentially vehicles for the concept, the entirety of SONGS FROM LONELY AVENUE shows Setzer to be a master of mood, maybe not digging too far underneath the surface, but creating a record that is an engaging slice of noir fantasia.