The Killer's late-career, all-star geezer fests are simply great fun for anyone who cares about the unbroken circle of American popular music.
Just as he did with 2006's "Last Man Standing," Lewis has assembled cohorts from across the musical spectrum -- three Stones, Merle, Willie, Ringo, Clapton, Slash, Mavis Staples, Tim McGraw, James Burton, Gillian Welch, Solomon Burke and Kid Rock among them -- and plunged gamely into the archives.
All of Lewis' gloriously contradictory personality traits are represented: "Middle-Age Crazy," "Whiskey River," "Swinging Doors," "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and the Kris Kristofferson-penned title track are cheek-to-jowl (and we do mean jowl) with "You Are My Sunshine" and the gospel nuggets "Railroad to Heaven" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
Sure, the energy level sags a few times ("Whiskey River" and "Please Release Me" need Viagra), and Lewis' less-than-supple vocals need all of that all-star support, but for the most part, history has seldom gone down so easily. If this turns out to be a final statement, then the soon-to-be-75 Jerry Lee will have done himself proud.
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