POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Setzer Delivers a Joyous Big-Band Show

Trying to keep up with Brian Setzer’s musical career is like watching six episodes of “Quantum Leap” in one sitting: Decades whiz by in no particular order, gone almost as soon as they’ve made an impression.

Setzer led an arty, new wave band in the late ‘70s. In the ‘80s, he returned to the ‘50s with the Stray Cats and the mid-’60s with a power-pop-tinged solo album. And now that it’s the ‘90s, Setzer has taken a time tunnel back to the late ‘40s and early ‘50s.

At the Roxy on Wednesday, the singer and his 16-piece band celebrated the signing of a record deal with Hollywood Records with a joyous show that never took itself too seriously. Led by animated saxophonist Michael Acosta, the band accompanied Setzer through a smorgasbord of songs, from a Sinatra-style “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” which Setzer carried off with grinning aplomb, to a raucous rendition of the Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town.”

Though the big-band format allowed Setzer to stretch out as a guitarist, it often overwhelmed the sound of his instrument. With a little tinkering to better balance the competing parts of the whole--and some more original songs--the Brian Setzer Orchestra has a shot (albeit a long one) at making a real impact. Not bad for an inveterate throwback.