Jerry Lee Lewis – Last Man Standing (2006)

Around the time of his 71st birthday, rock-&-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis unveiled LAST MAN STANDING, a celebratory outing that features a stunning cast of guest musicians, ranging from B.B. King and Little Richard to Merle Haggard and Neil Young. Among the many highlights of this album are Lewis's lively collaboration with guitarist Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin's "Rock N' Roll," a rendition that wonderfully plays up the tune's 1950s leanings, and the Killer's honky-tonk spin on Hank Williams's "Lost Highway," which points to his often-overlooked country recordings and features Delaney Bramlett's searing six-string work. Like the latter-day recordings of his old Sun labelmate Johnny Cash, this Lewis collection points to a remarkable legacy, while also displaying his still-formidable talents, resulting in a musical testament to aging impressively well.
It often seems like there are only two ways for rock, country, and blues veterans to launch comebacks when they're senior citizens: confront mortality head on or surround yourself with superstar guests to help carry you through a half-hearted stroll through your back catalog, scattering a few new tunes along the way. At first glance, Jerry Lee Lewis' Last Man Standing seems to fall into both categories: the title suggests that Jerry Lee is in the mood to take a long look back, and certainly the very concept of the album – pairing Lewis with 21 other stars for a succession of duets, often on material that his guests either wrote or made famous – seems like a typical superstar duet record. But the Killer has never been predictable, and nowhere is that truer than it is here, where Jerry Lee treats Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, and 16 other stars as he treated the Nashville Teens at the Star Club in 1964 – as game amateurs who have to sprint to keep up with the master. This is the only guest-studded superstar album where all the guests bend to the will of the main act, who dominates the proceedings in every conceivable way. Jerry Lee doesn't just run the guests ragged; he turns their songs inside out, too – and nowhere is that clearer than on the opening "Rock and Roll," the Led Zeppelin classic that is now stripped of its signature riff and sounds as if it were a lost gem dug out of the Sun vaults. Far from struggling with this, Jimmy Page embraces it, following the Killer as he runs off on his own course – he turns into support, and the rest of other 20 guests follow suit (with the possible exception of Kid Rock, who sounds like the party guest who won't go home on an otherwise strong version of "Honky Tonk Woman").
The label might sell Last Man Standing on the backs of the duet partners – after all, it's awful hard to drum up interest in a record by a 71-year-old man no matter how great he is, so you need a hook like superstars – but the album by no stretch of the imagination belongs to them. This is completely Jerry Lee's show from the second that he calls out, "It's been a long time since I rock & rolled," at the beginning of the record – and those are true words, since he hasn't rocked on record in a long, long time. Ten years ago he cut the Andy Paley-produced Young Blood, but that was a typically tasteful self-conscious comeback record; it was driven as much by the producer's conception of the artist as it was the artist himself. The opposite is true here, where the production is simple and transparent. Despite all the high-powered guests, Lewis stays in charge throughout LAST MAN STANDING….Most of his command now comes from the slamming, swinging passion of his barrelhouse piano."

Personnel:

Jerry Lee Lewis - Vocals, Piano
Keith Richards, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy - Vocals, Guitar
Delaney Bramlett, Don Henley, George Jones, John Fogerty, Kid Rock, Little Richard, Merle Haggard, Mick Jagger, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Toby Keith, Bruce Springsteen Vocals
Jimmy Rip, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Kenny Lovelace, Robbie Robertson - Guitar
Ronnie Wood - Pedal Steel Guitar
Ivan Neville - Organ
Butch Hutchinson - Bass Guitar
Jim Keltner - Drums

Tracklist:

01. Rock and Roll (with Jimmy Page)
02. Before the Night Is Over (with B.B. King)
03. Pink Cadillac (with Bruce Springsteen)
04. Evening Gown (with Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood)
05. You Don't Have To Go (with Neil Young)
06. Twilight (with Robbie Robertson)
07. Travelin' Band (with John Fogerty)
08. That Kind of Fool (with Keith Richards)
09. Sweet Little Sixteen (with Ringo Starr)
10. Just a Bummin' Around (with Merle Haggard)
11. Honky Tonk Woman (with Kid Rock)
12. What's Made Milwaukee Famous (with Rod Stewart)
13. Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age (with George Jones)
14. Couple More Years (with Willie Nelson)
15. Ol' Glory (with Toby Keith)
16. Trouble In Mind (with Eric Clapton)
17. I Saw Her Standing There (with Little Richard)
18. Lost Highway (with Delaney Bramlett)
19. Hadacol Boogie (with Buddy Guy)
20. What Makes the Irish Heart Beat (with Don Henley)
21. The Pilgrim (with Kris Kristofferson)

Sound Quality: 8/9