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player ready...Stray Cats
Choo Choo Hot Fish (Great Pyramid/JRS) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)1/2
Lately, Brian Setzer`s biggest claim to fame has been as a guitarist outplayed by a grandma in a beer commercial. But on ”Choo Choo Hot Fish,”
Setzer and fellow Stray Cats Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom sound downright rejuvenated, plowing full speed ahead on rockers like the single ”Elvis on Velvet” and easing off to show their chops on the instrumentals ”Sleepwalk” and ”Jade Idol.” Perhaps that`s a result of teaming up again with wise, craggy Dave Edmunds, who returns to produce his third LP (the band`s fourth)
for the still relatively young rockabilly rousers. Although the Cats would be hard-pressed to duplicate their early-`80s commercial success, it`s not for lack of effort: ”My Heart Is a Liar,” ”Cross of Love” and ”Crybaby” rank with their best work.
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