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The Rockats Start Over Again Review by Gary Hill While the Stray Cats were bigger, the Rockats were the originals. They were actually an inspiration on Brian Setzer. As you might expect, this recent disc from the group shows off the vintage rock and roll and rockabilly type of sound that the Stray Cats espoused. There are plenty of differences, though. These guys, at least in this incarnation, get a bit more contemporary at times. All in all, this is quite an entertaining set that does a great job of bringing some modern sensibilities to the retro revival sound. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024 Volume 1 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review

Nervous Breakdown Rockabilly with a bit of a punky edge is the order of business here. This is a fun romp that really rocks. It's a great way to start things with retro goodness.

This Is The Night The clean guitar grooving on this track is so strong. The vocals have an almost Elvis vibe to them. While this isn't far removed from the opener, it has some hints of jazzy sound and less of a hard rocking vibe.

You're My Baby I love the energized rock and roll groove on this one, too. This is so much fun. It's not a big change, but somehow it feels a little more authentic and unique.

50 Miles From Nowhere This is a bit more hard rocking, coming in a little closer to the album's opener. It's another killer slab of retro music.

Rock Baby Rock (All Night Long) Rock and roll with some hints of electric blues lands in the driver's seat here. This does make you want to rock all night long. It's got some particularly scorching guitar work, too.

Rockabilly Swamp There is definitely a lot of blues in the rockabilly mix here. Yet somehow this feels more modern, too. It has some great slide guitar.

Start Over Again Pretty much a full slow blues grind, there are still some rockabilly things at play. This is another that feels less retro.

Lucky Old Rockabilly (Walking Down The Pike) More of a retro rockabilly groove is on the menu here. It's a fun romp that works really well.

Rock Around With Ollie Vee A high energy rock and roller, this is another fun one. It's another that's more purely old-school in sound.

Working Man This retro-tinged rocker is a lot of fun. It is more modern in nature, though. It has some great guitar interplay.

Rockabilly Doll There is a bit of a modern rockabilly sound on this, as opposed to the more retro approach of a lot of it.

Tanya Jean I'm reminded of Elvis on this one. It's a more retro sounding tune, and I love the stabs of guitar work on the track.

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