There's a different feel to 2014's
Rock & Roll Time
, the third album
Jerry Lee Lewis
has made with benefactor and producer
Steve Bing
. Once again, superstar drummer
Jim Keltner
co-produces (as he did on 2010's
Mean Old Man
), and the pair bring the Killer back where he belongs -- right at Sun Studios. In case anybody missed the point,
Jerry Lee
is placed directly in front of the old Sun building itself on the cover of
, underscoring a point the music makes perfectly plain:
is once again singing some of that old-time rock & roll. It's a back-to-basics move, and to that end,
Bing
and
Keltner
made the canny decision to dial back the superstar cameos that threatened to overwhelm
Lewis
on
Last Man Standing
. Some familiar names join
in the studio --
Keith Richards
Ron Wood
,
Neil Young
Robbie Robertson
Nils Lofgren
Doyle Bramhall II
Derek Trucks
, and
Jon Brion
all are here -- but only
Shelby Lynne
shares the microphone with him, which means the album belongs to nobody but the Killer. He sounds his age, as he should at 79, but he still sounds vibrant, whether he's once again singing
Chuck Berry
songs he's played countless times before, or laying into
Kris Kristofferson
's "Rock & Roll Time,"
Bob Dylan
's obscure "Stepchild," or
Mack Vickery
's "Keep Me in Mind." The emphasis is on greasy groove, an appropriate move considering the Killer's advanced age, but by placing feel first and foremost, it's possible to pay attention to how
' vocal phrasing remains sly and supple. Nobody else can sing like
and it remains a pleasure to hear him sink his teeth into nearly any song, especially when he's supported by a team as sympathetic as he is here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine