Brian Setzer announces first new solo album in 7 years, Gotta Have the Rumble

Guitar great Brian Setzer has announced his forthcoming solo album Gotta Have the Rumble, and has given everyone their first taste with the record's lead single, Checkered Flag. 

This outing, set for release via Surfdog Records on August 27, will be the three-time Grammy Award-winner's first solo album in seven years, and will see Setzer strap on his Gretsch 6120 Hot Rod Custom electric guitar once again for 11 all-new tracks.

“Obviously, it’s a reference to my motorcycles and hot rods, something that hasn’t changed since I was 15 years old,” said the Stray Cats legend. “I still have the same passion for going fast and adrenaline. But it’s also about my hearing problems with tinnitus – the ringing of the ear: it was pretty bad, and I realized I couldn’t play the way I wanted to.

"As I recovered, standing in front of a small amplifier just didn’t cut it," he continued. "The sound from my big amps makes the guitar rumble. Which is a big part of my sound. I was really despondent for a while because I thought I wouldn’t be able to do that again. So, Gotta Have the Rumble refers to both of those things.”

The album, which features 11 songs written or co-written by the rockabilly icon, was recorded in Minneapolis and produced by Julian Raymond, whose credits include Cheap Trick and Glen Campbell.

Last year, Setzer decided to sell off some of his iconic guitar gear, including his 6120 Smoke Prototype, his leopard-print Hot Rod Highlight and a handful of classic amps on Reverb.com. 

The rockabilly ace also once told us “nothing feels right after a Gretsch” – something he still clearly believes with the release of this new record. 

The tracklisting for Gotta Have the Rumble is as follows: 

1. Checkered Flag
2. Smash Up On Highway One
3. Stack My Money
4. The Wrong Side Of The Tracks
5. Drip Drop
6. The Cat With 9 Wives
7. Turn You On, Turn Me On
8. Rockabilly Riot
9. Off Your Rocker
10. One Bad Habit
11. Rockabilly Banjo

Gotta Have The Rumble is available for preorder now.