Dig That Crazy Christmas

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineAs Brian Setzer's second Christmas record in three years -- apparently his Surfdog labelmate Gary Hoey has been rubbing off on him -- it should come as no great surprise that Dig That Crazy Christmas sounds a little bit familiar. It follows the same form as 2002's Boogie Woogie Christmas, as Setzer blasts through several familiar carols, tosses in a handful of obscure rockers and blues numbers, does a couple of instrumentals, and throws it all into a Louis Prima blender so it comes out sounding a bit like Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show band with tattoos. While that's neither fresh nor surprising, it isn't bad. At times, it's a little more shuck-and-jive than flat-out jive, but the band rocks, Setzer's playing is energetic (even if his voice is a little rough), and it certainly has quite a bit more flair than the series of Ho! Ho! Hoey! holiday records. And all that means is that rockabilly cats and kittens with a high tolerance, or even love, for Atomic Age kitsch who are looking for a new collection of relatively rocking seasonal tunes should find this right up their alley.