2021 Albums and Music DVD/Blu-ray Releases You Might Have Missed

With all of the music that I receive over the course of the year, it's impossible to get to everything around release date time. Below are some album and home video music titles worthy of your attention.  

Brian Setzer, Gotta Have the Rumble (Surfdog/Mascot Label Group)

Following the underrated Stray Cats reunion album "40" in 2019, Setzer put out the thoroughly enjoyable "Gotta Have the Rumble" - his first solo album in seven years. Wisely utilizing the deft production touch of Julian Raymond (Cheap Trick, Fastball), the veteran singer/guitarist had a hand in writing every song. All but one feature his trademark rockabilly and roots rock sound. Stray Cats bandmate Slim Jim Phantom co-wrote catchy opening tune "Checkered Flag," rife with smile-inducing race analogy lyrics like "can't be humble/gotta have the rumble" and "my baby's wrapped up in a checkered flag." 

"Wrong Side of the Tracks" possesses a sleek cinematic sweep, thanks to a subtle string arrangement, while "Drip Drop," with a lean rock 'n' roll vibe and female backing vocals, recalls the 1950s Sun Records era. A humorous "The Cat with 9 Wives" sports a memorable guitar solo, as does the breakneck pace of "Smash Up on Highway One." After releasing three albums with some variation of the title "Rockabilly Riot," Setzer finally set it to a song with cool call and response vocals. Finally, the closing bluegrass-tinged "Rockabilly Banjo" features mandolin and pedal steel work by two of Nashville's top session men (Bryan Sutton, Paul Franklin). Definitely recommended for enthusiasts of Setzer's Stray Cats, BSO and solo material. 

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, Soulfire Live! - Expanded Edition; Macca to Mecca! (Wicked Cool/UME)

Stevie Van Zandt had a busy fall promoting his memoir "Unrequited Infatuations." But at the start of the year, fans were treated to a double shot of fantastic live releases from his large rock and traditional soul band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul documenting the 2017 world tour for studio album "Soulfire."  

With a running time of 4 1/2 hours and 61 songs (!), the 4CD "Soulfire Live! - Expanded Edition" approaches the length of 1970s gigs Van Zandt used to do as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. The performances, from the Disciples' 2017 North American and European concerts, are nothing short of exhilarating. 

Among multiple highlights: a spirited, politically-tinged "Salvation" (off 1999's "Born Again Savage"), the reggae lilt of "I Am a Patriot" (which Jackson Browne recorded and performed in the Eighties), the spaghetti western vibe of “Standing in the Line of Fire” (Van Zandt wrote it for a 1984 Gary U.S. Bonds album), “I Don’t Want to Go Home” and "Love on the Wrong Side of Town" (penned for the first two Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes albums in the 1970s). The musicians tackle James Brown, Electric Flag, Etta James and Ramones numbers with zeal and you gotta love Stevie's informative introductions akin to his Underground Garage radio show on SiriusXM.

Bonus Disc 3 is a real hoot with a bunch of special covers and concert guests. All work surprisingly well with a horn section. Chief among them: Tom Petty's "Even the Losers," AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," John Lennon's "Working Class Hero," The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," the Marvin Gaye-popularized "Can I Get a Witness" (with Richie Sambora), J.Geils Band's "Freeze Frame" (with Peter Wolf), "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and “I Don’t Want to Go Home” (with Springsteen). 

Disc 4 contains "Macca to Mecca" from when Van Zandt and the Disciples played a 2017 lunchtime gig at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. The entire lively 14-song Beatles and Beatles adjacent set is represented. An appearance at The Roundhouse in London saw Paul McCartney join them for "I Saw Her Standing There." 

Also available separately is the standalone "Macca to Mecca" CD+DVD with a behind-the-scenes Cavern Club featurette, rehearsal and more.  

Oasis, Knebworth 1996 (Big Brother/Sony Music)

One of the biggest English rock acts of the 1990s performed at the country's biggest concert of the decade. The engrossing documentary Knebworth 1996, directed by Jake Scott (a Grammy nominee for R.E.M. and George Michael videos), details the mammoth events held over two nights at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire before 250,000 people. It had a short theatrical run starting in September and broke records for a documentary across the U.K.

Fans who attended a quarter century ago describe what they went through to wait in line or dial on the phone to get tickets (2.5 million applied for tickets; about 2 percent of the population) through interviews and recreations. There is archival concert and backstage footage from the shows, interviews with singer/guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and briefly, singer Liam Gallagher, plus concert organizers. 

I interviewed Noel Gallagher the year before these gigs and saw them play several times in Southern California before the '09 split. So, I was very interested in the backstory of these events that had taken on mythical proportions in Oasis lore over the intervening decades. I was not disappointed. Adding to the gigs' excitement was the appearance of Stone Roses guitarist John Squire, who had been rumored to turn up on Night 1 but actually guested on Night 2 during epic transcendent versions of "Champagne Supernova" and The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" (supplemented by a horn section that also played on "Round Are Way").  

The DVD/Blu-ray includes the doc and both full concerts with a satisfying setlist taken from the first three albums and some B-side singles. Audio was mixed in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. A 2CD+DVD edition in a mini hardback book has credits and artsy photos by Jill Furmanovsky.

A must for any Oasis fan.

The Jenny Thing, American Canyon

One of my favorite indie releases of 2021 was "American Canyon," the scintillating fourth studio effort by The Jenny Thing. 

The Berkeley, California alt-rock band formed in 1991 and once appeared on "Star Search," a long-running precursor to "American Idol" and similar talent competitions. Playing major clubs throughout California, the quartet shared stages with Juliana Hatfield, Gin Blossoms and The Untouchables before calling it quits soon after 1999's "Nowhere Near You."

The Jenny Thing reformed around 2016 and slowly began recording new material again until they had enough for a full-length album. What results is a transfixing sound that often nods to '80s synth-pop, '90s Britpop and modern alternative bands like The Killers. 

A slowly unfurling "Waiting for the Knife" runs 6 1/2 minutes thanks to dreamy, Cure-styled touchtones. The danceable, infectious "Paper Angel" sports a lush synth undertow. The insistent "More All the Time" spotlights Matt Easton's breathy vocals and the title track is like a cross between Nine Inch Nails and Japan. But the catchiest tune here is the upbeat, poppy "Lightfield," where chiming guitar and swirling synth envelop Easton's emotive vocals. 

To purchase "American Canyon": 

https://thejennything.bandcamp.com/releases