Posted on: July 5, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Jerry Lee Lewis – Last Man Standing / 2006 Shangri-La / 21 Tracks / http://www.jerryleelewis.com /

Jerry Lee Lewis is an individual whose time had came and left by the time that I started listening to music in the middle nineties. This does not mean that ey does not have anything left in the gas tank, but that I had never heard anything more than a few singles from Lewis in my musical existence. This album has the same general concept as the “American” series of albums that Johnny Cash released before ey died. This means that twenty-one tracks are played by Lewis (with guest musicians), ranging from those made famous by B.B. King to Toby Keith to Don Henley and Kid Rock.

The tracks represent some famous tracks “Rock and Roll” as well as songs that are probably pet projects of Lewis eirself (“Honky Tonk Woman”). The most interesting thing about “Last Man Standing” is that Lewis is able to bring these disparate tracks together into some semblance of cohesion. This means that, if individuals did not know that Neil Young was on “You Don’t Have To Go”, that they would think that the song is a solid contribution to the sound that is “Last Man Standing”. Even though the style of rock that Lewis is capable of and shows on this CD is definitely an older style of the genre, there is still a current and vital sound to eir contributions on this album. Despite creeping up in the years, Lewis has not lost a step.

Of particular note during this album have to be tracks like “Before the Night is Over” and “Pink Cadillac”. The sheer amount of tracks on this CD make this even more of a value; Lewis knows how to ensure that this disc will be flying off of the shelves, even if ey has not had an independent hit for quite a few years.  Lewis succeeds in much the same way as Cash did “American”. Lewis has so much charisma and ability that ey is able to keep the nuance of the accompanying artists on the tracks while still coming forth with eir own style and sound.  Lewis could conceivably release these type of albums every few years and end eir career on a strong note. If this sounds like a strong album, pick this up and give it a good few spins.  The duet album is something that is increasing in popularity, and for good reason; the joining in by talented musicians is bound to end well.

Top Tracks: Evening Gown, Twilight

Rating: 6.4/10

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