Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing Album Review

Jerry Lee Lewis (and guests)

Last Man Standing

Album Review

Johnny Cash's last few albums showed how much life there is in the ageing-star album. For those who didn't even realise Jerry Lee Lewis was still with us, Last Man Standing takes a remarkable 21 guest artists for a 1950s rock and roll ride, that shows the 71 year old has the same spit, fire, hands and voice as he ever did.

Artists like Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Keith Richards are forced into a wide-eyed amateur sit in role, as The Killer takes on their songs (Pink Cadillac, Rock & Roll) and makes them his own. Rock & Roll sounds nothing like the Led Zeppelin original, and more like a Sun Studios standard. The title derives from the 1950s Sun Studios cadre of artists - Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley - of whom Lewis is the last man standing. Not just standing, clearly, but rocking as hard as ever. Lewis fans may aver, but this is the best way for the rest of us to rediscover the man.

Rating 8/10

Mike Rea