Grammy-winning rockabilly guitarist Brian Setzer has delved into the worlds of bluegrass and jazz with his first all-instrumental album, Instru-MENTAL, which hit stores on Tuesday.
Among the album’s many gems, the former Stray Cats frontman jazzifies bluegrass legend Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” trades his six-string for a banjo on Earl Scruggs “Earl’s Breakdown,” and puts his own unique stamp on such 20th Century classics as Gene Austin’s “Lonesome Road” and the Tex Davis/Gene Vincent classic “Be-Bop-A-Lula.” Setzer also includes six originals, including “Go-Go Godzilla,” which is featured in the new movie Soul Surfer, co-starring country music siren Carrie Underwood.
“I didn’t start writing an instrumental record, per se,” Setzer told GuitarWorld.com. “I wrote seven songs with lyrics, and then, all of a sudden, I just took a turn and started fooling around with ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky,’ except without any vocals. I started playing melody chords and thought, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool!’ So the direction turned about halfway through my writing. I had never done an instrumental record, but I thought, well, now’s the time.”
Instru-MENTAL tracklist (all songs written by Setzer unless otherwise noted):
1. “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (Bill Monroe)
2. “Cherokee” (Ray Noble)
3. “Be-Bop-A-Lula” (Tex Davis/Gene Vincent)
4. “Earl's Breakdown” (Earl Scruggs)
5. “Far Noir East”
6. “Intermission”
7. “Go-Go Godzilla”
8. “Lonesome Road” (Gene Austin/Nathaniel Shilkret)
9. “Hillbilly Jazz Meltdown”
10. “Hot Love”
11. “Pickpocket”
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