Independent review

Stray Cats - 40 (2019) - 6/10 The New York State trio had not released a record for 15 years. This year marked the band's 40th anniversary, celebrated with their eleventh studio album. SC fans can give me as much grief as they like, but to me the band ended where they began. Their wonderful self-titled debut remains an unattainable ideal for them. It was energetic and varied, capturing the essence of rockabilly. None of the other records came close. They had good tracks, but were as commonplace and simple as could be—simple in the sense of unremarkable. Without that debut, Stray Cats would be an entirely ordinary rockabilly band, but that record really stood out within the genre. I was almost certain that 40 was merely an anniversary title and that the material would differ little from a standard album by Brian Setzer's trio. That is more or less the case. There are plenty of interchangeable rock-and-roll-club numbers and 4 worthwhile songs that merit more than one listen: Cry danger, I attract trouble, I'll be looking out for you, Devil train. Those who love this kind of undemanding music should certainly enjoy 40—there are no surprises. I could live with that, but the main problem is the lack of that old drive. A tired Setzer, alongside an equally tired Rocker and Phantom, cannot get by on professionalism and experience alone, especially given that energy was already an issue before.

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