Post by jptheprofessor on Oct 15, 2006 21:41:08 GMT -5
JERRY LEE LEWIS – LAST MAN STANDING: THE DUETS (Shangri-La Entertainment) A half-century ago, the founding fathers of rock and roll – Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash – recorded at Sam Phillips' legendary Sun Records in Memphis. Now, the rest are gone; and just rounding the age corner into his 70's, Lewis is the last man standing – thus the title of his first studio album in a dozen years. Recorded over the course of the past five years, Last Man Standing pairs Lewis with a long list of legendary names from the rock'n'roll, blues and country music worlds. What becomes clear shortly into listening to this album is that this is Jerry Lee Lewis' show, even though he is doing music created by his guests or other artists. Lewis' voice and piano sound as boisterous now as they did fifty years ago, and are clearly the driving forces on these tunes, with his guests along for the ride and cheering him on. On the opening track, Lewis turns Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" into a rollicking 50's era party, with guest Jimmy Page happy to contribute his guitar work in the support role to The Killer's adaptation. This sets the stage for much of the rest of the album; Bruce Springsteen cheers Lewis along on his reworking of "Pink Cadillac," and John Fogerty takes the backseat as Lewis turns "Travelin' Band" into a piano-fueled rip-roaring joyride. Lewis also gets rowdy with Ringo Starr on Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little 16," and he and Little Richard tear it up on the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There." Old school meets new school, as The Killer schools Kid Rock in a gospel revival rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women." The Glimmer Twins themselves are part of this party; Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood team with Lewis on Jagger's country ballad "Evening Gown," while Keith Richards takes the vocal high road alongside Lewis on the equally rural "That Kind of Fool." In the same neighborhood age-wise, country legends Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, as well as blues legends B.B. King and Buddy Guy, all sound happy to be celebrating life and survival with Lewis on their respective duets. Rounding out the album are Lewis' various-flavored duets with Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Toby Keith, Eric Clapton, Delaney Bramlett and Don Henley. The performances sound spirited and fun, and it's easy to tell that these guests are enjoying their respective times spent with this rock and roll legend. Ultimately, Last Man Standing: The Duets isn't just a celebration of Jerry Lee Lewis' longevity; it is also a celebration of rock and roll's longevity itself, and the role that Lewis played in inspiring the decades of artists who came after him.