[.ca] Vavoom

From Amazon.com:
Brian Setzer may have been vilified by purists and progressives for daring to "modernize" rockabilly and swing, but the pompadoured Long Islander has now laughed all the way to the bank twice at their expense--and in two different decades, no less. Like its predecessor, the surprise hit The Dirty Boogie, this collection won't win points with music academics, but then Setzer's having too much fun to give a flying (musical) fifth. Though he clearly idolizes his forerunners, Setzer never lets his reverence for form get in the way of his sense of joy, committing frolicsome heresy on some classics along the way (injecting surprisingly effective looped samples and hip-hop beats into "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and giving "In the Mood" a rap!). His take on Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" is a bit slavish, only reinforcing the hit's perfection. But as he's admitted, Setzer's a rockabilly writer/guitarist by nature, a notion reinforced here by his own tunes and a flashy take on the instrumental "Caravan." His band charts are both serviceable and modern, but might benefit from a different arranger's perspective. And if his notion of fusing swing and rockabilly still seems marketing driven, recall that this is largely a joyously amped-up version of what Bill Haley was up to way back in his pre-"Rock Around the Clock" days. --Jerry McCulley

Chronique amazon.fr:
Malgré son costume lamé et ses tentations pour la Haute, Brian Setzer, au fond, reste un voyou. Son jeu ébouriffé surgit toujours sans prévenir, comme un sale matou fondant sur le merle innocent. Setzer est bien un rebelle avec une cause, celle de la défense et de l'illustration du swing. Après avoir réhabilité le rockabilly, l'ancien leader des Stray Cats a remonté l'arbre généalogique. Il a gardé les nerfs, et mis des cuivres. Ceci est le quatrième album de l'Orchestra qu'il a formé pour mener à bien sa mission. Mais là où existait le risque d'un revival un peu tristounet, Setzer apporte la fougue et l'imagination. Il revisite ici des monuments du genre, tels "Caravan", "Mack The Knife", ou encore "In The Moon" (qu'il prolonge d'un rap). Et pour ne pas perdre la main dans ce qui reste la spécialité maison, à l'occasion, il attaque au corps avec du rockab' vintage ("'49 Mercury Blues"). Voilà bien un album jouissif et totalement habité par une guitare dominatrice. --José Ruiz

okay,umm excuse me this is a good album!!!:
this album has got a lot of harsh reviews. first i am here to say, i think this is a good album. it is a bit different than the dirty boogie,( released right after that album) first of all it is really more non-commercial and original than the dirty boogie. thats why a lot of you people dont like it, because it is too unique for you. It has some good songs. i'll agree there are some major suckage songs," jumping east of java","mack the knife"( terrible cover version) and "from here to eternity." The first track alone is really different and sounds like turntables are used." americano" is different but good."pennsylvania 6-5000" not bad. Now heres for the different part,what is up with "drive like lightning, crash like thunder"? It's a good song, but its got these really weird riffs at the end ( but cool) totally unlike setzer." footloose doll" is good."49'mercury blues" is a great song and" gloria" ends the album great. This is really different kind of album than the dirty boogie, which was good, but this ones more non-commercial,take a while, it takes some time to get used to!

Not typical of Brian setzer:
This is NOT typical swinging Setzer, for intead of swaggering horns and hot guitar solos, you get hip hip, rap and techno mixed with otherwise good music. Too bad Setzer's producers made him make this such a commerical release, go for The Dirty boogie instead.

Not swing, not rockabilly, then what is it?:
OK the music on the cd swings, and has touches of Rockabilly(particularly Stzer's guitar work), which is all fine, and enjoyable. The problem here is not in Setzer's appealing voice and unique;y swinging guitar work, or the band which is used primarily as a prop behind Setzer(with an occasional short sax solo). The problem is Setzer is trying too hard for a commercial success like with his Jump, Jive an Wail. He is trying so hard to make this sound commercial that he succeeds, and there is nothing artisticly or creative going on here. He adds techno rhythms and tacky hip hop and rap everywhere, and tries to revive Glenn Millers' In The Mood, which has already been done a million times. and does stupid songs like Americano, and Ride Like Thunder. He ruins Pennsylvannia 6-500. Yuo are better off buying his masterpiece CD, THE DIRTY BOOGIE, where he isn't desperate for a hit, but just having fun creating creative and exciting rockabilly SWING, but skip this one, and try his Christmas cd, which is exellent.

Ignore the prophets of doom.....:
The guy stated on release of this album that he'd simply done as he pleased. He was making no atempt to follow Dirty Boogie with the same old and those expecting "more of the same" were going to get a slap in the face. Whilst Dirty Boogie is an unbelievably good mix of big band swing and rockabilly, and simply just sounded so so good, this album steps firmly into the big band swing camp. No the tunes aren't quite so radio friendly as Boogie, and it doesn't quite rock like it either, but the point is Setzer has put his money where his (considerable at times), mouth is and reworked some old and in some cases, very tired songs. And done a fantastic job as well. Stuff the criticism by the purists. His version of Mack the Knife is so fresh and charming, as is his remoulding of Americano. Is he a classic "crooner"? Not by any means but the guy is a very talented guitarist, song writer, composer and producer and has put together an album of songs with VaVoom that has wit, charm, quality and is something i defy listeners not to simply smile at if nothing else.

"...a bit of a disappointment":
"...a bit of a disappointment." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine ---review from the online All Music Guide

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