Post by Fuggle on Sept 22, 2006 9:00:50 GMT -5
Last Man Standing
Jerry Lee Lewis
Shangri-La Entertainment
(out of 5)
Who says the Gods of Rock'n'Roll don't have a sick sense of humor? George Harrison and John Lennon are dead and Ringo Starr isn't. The only remaining Ramones are drummers and a fill-in bass player. Joe Strummer's kicked; Johnny Rotten hasn't.
With that sort of track history, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the last man standing from Sun Records' glory days is its least important. The 70-year-old Lewis, who through a sad cosmic joke outlived Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, climbs out of the cyrogenic storage unit and takes a stab at a comeback. And learning the lesson taught by Frank Sinatra, there's no better way to stage a comeback than with a slew of duets with other big-names. While Old Blue Eyes opted for star power on his Duets, Lewis doesn't seem as particular about whom he hooks up with in the studio. He matches up with legends whose fame outshines his own (Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen), classic country crooners (George Jones, Willie Nelson) and modern-day jokes (jingo-twang superstar Toby Keith and trailer park champion Kid Rock) for a seemingly unending supply of cover songs.
Lewis' first album in a decade, Last Man Standing ultimately comes off as a bunch of musicians taking the opportunity to rock out with one of rock'n'roll's most elder statesman for wish-fulfillment purposes than to help the Killer rock this town one more time. Lewis tackles the 21 tracks on this album with the sort of piano-pounding fury of his glory days -- or whatever he can still wring out of his old bones -- or a honkytonk blues that reflect his southern-fried upbringing. That makes about half this album sound more like Lewis' signature tune, "Great Balls of Fire," than the original. "Pink Cadillac" (with Bruce Springsteen) and "Travelin' Band" (with John Fogerty) are piano-busting approximations of the original, while classic numbers like "Sweet Little Sixteen" (with Ringo Starr) and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with Little Richard skirt the truth: Legend or not, Lewis' was a one-trick rock'n'roll pony. His country collaborations sound less forced -- the wry wit of "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age" with George Jones is the album's only honest moment -- though they're still mired in the gimmicky pseudo-collaborations of these duets.
Last Man Standing isn't an album about kick-starting Lewis' career. It's not even an album about cashing in on his reputation. It's ultimately a masturbatory affair for Lewis' guests, an attempt to share a track with a rock'n'roll architect and a living legend. Come on in, shake hands with the Killer, phone in a performance and add it to your stack of rock'n'roll memories.
The Gods of Rock'n'Roll are surely toying with us. It's not enough that Lewis survived his more talented labelmates from Sun. He has to remind us that unlike Presley, Perkins or Cash, he hasn't been truly relevant since his first singles fell from the charts.
- Matt Schild
Jerry Lee Lewis
Shangri-La Entertainment
(out of 5)
Who says the Gods of Rock'n'Roll don't have a sick sense of humor? George Harrison and John Lennon are dead and Ringo Starr isn't. The only remaining Ramones are drummers and a fill-in bass player. Joe Strummer's kicked; Johnny Rotten hasn't.
With that sort of track history, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the last man standing from Sun Records' glory days is its least important. The 70-year-old Lewis, who through a sad cosmic joke outlived Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, climbs out of the cyrogenic storage unit and takes a stab at a comeback. And learning the lesson taught by Frank Sinatra, there's no better way to stage a comeback than with a slew of duets with other big-names. While Old Blue Eyes opted for star power on his Duets, Lewis doesn't seem as particular about whom he hooks up with in the studio. He matches up with legends whose fame outshines his own (Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen), classic country crooners (George Jones, Willie Nelson) and modern-day jokes (jingo-twang superstar Toby Keith and trailer park champion Kid Rock) for a seemingly unending supply of cover songs.
Lewis' first album in a decade, Last Man Standing ultimately comes off as a bunch of musicians taking the opportunity to rock out with one of rock'n'roll's most elder statesman for wish-fulfillment purposes than to help the Killer rock this town one more time. Lewis tackles the 21 tracks on this album with the sort of piano-pounding fury of his glory days -- or whatever he can still wring out of his old bones -- or a honkytonk blues that reflect his southern-fried upbringing. That makes about half this album sound more like Lewis' signature tune, "Great Balls of Fire," than the original. "Pink Cadillac" (with Bruce Springsteen) and "Travelin' Band" (with John Fogerty) are piano-busting approximations of the original, while classic numbers like "Sweet Little Sixteen" (with Ringo Starr) and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with Little Richard skirt the truth: Legend or not, Lewis' was a one-trick rock'n'roll pony. His country collaborations sound less forced -- the wry wit of "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age" with George Jones is the album's only honest moment -- though they're still mired in the gimmicky pseudo-collaborations of these duets.
Last Man Standing isn't an album about kick-starting Lewis' career. It's not even an album about cashing in on his reputation. It's ultimately a masturbatory affair for Lewis' guests, an attempt to share a track with a rock'n'roll architect and a living legend. Come on in, shake hands with the Killer, phone in a performance and add it to your stack of rock'n'roll memories.
The Gods of Rock'n'Roll are surely toying with us. It's not enough that Lewis survived his more talented labelmates from Sun. He has to remind us that unlike Presley, Perkins or Cash, he hasn't been truly relevant since his first singles fell from the charts.
- Matt Schild