Rock & Roll Time

Last updated
Rock & Roll Time
Rock & Roll Time.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 7, 2014
Recorded2012–2014
StudioHouse of Blues Studio, Memphis [1]
Genre Rock and roll [2]
Label Vanguard Records [3]
Jerry Lee Lewis chronology
A Whole Lotta...Jerry Lee Lewis: The Definitive Retrospective
(2012)
Rock & Roll Time
(2014)

Rock & Roll Time is the 41st and final studio album by American singer Jerry Lee Lewis, released on November 7, 2014, by Vanguard Records. The album featured several big name friends as musicians including Keith Richards, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson, Neil Young and Nils Lofgren. [4] [5] The album peaked at number 33 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart and number 30 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Rock and Roll Time" (Kris Kristofferson, Roger McGuinn, Bob Neuwirth)
  2. "Little Queenie" (Chuck Berry)
  3. "Stepchild" (Bob Dylan)
  4. "Sick and Tired" (Chris Kenner, Dave Bartholomew)
  5. "Bright Lights, Big City" (Jimmy Reed)
  6. "Folsom Prison Blues" (Johnny Cash)
  7. "Keep Me in Mind" (previously unpublished song by Mack Vickery)
  8. "Mississippi Kid" (Al Kooper, Bob Burns, Ronnie Van Zant)
  9. "Blues Like Midnight" (Jimmie Rodgers)
  10. "Here Comes That Rainbow Again" (K. Kristofferson)
  11. "Promised Land" (C. Berry)

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
American Songwriter Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Erlewine ranked the album 3.5 stars out of 5, stating:

"There's a different feel to ... [this album, and co-producers Steve Bing and Jim Keltner] bring the Killer back where he belongs ... Jerry Lee 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 on Last Man Standing and Mean Old Man ... 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 Lewis' vocal phrasing remains sly and supple. Nobody else can sing like Jerry Lee 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." [9]

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References

  1. Gundersen, Edna. "Oct. 28 is 'Rock & Roll Time' for Jerry Lee Lewis". USA TODAY.
  2. 1 2 "Rock & Roll Time – Jerry Lee Lewis | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  3. Ratliff, Ben; Caramanica, Jon; Chinen, Nate (October 27, 2014). "Albums From Jerry Lee Lewis and Daniel Lanois" via NYTimes.com.
  4. Rolling Stone: Jerry Lee Lewis makes his most personal LP in years with some seriously heavy-hitting sidemen "For his follow-up to 2006's Last Man Standing and 2010's Mean Old Man, Jerry Lee Lewis once again invites his famous friends to play on some old favorites. This time, though, he's not in a duetting mood. Lewis relegates the likes of Keith Richards, Robbie Robertson, Neil Young and Nils Lofgren to guitar and backing vocals – making this less a star-studded spectacle than a personal statement, with the 79-year-old singer bringing his voice and piano to several blues standards, a couple of Chuck Berry tunes and an unexpected Dylan deep cut ("Stepchild")."
  5. Daily Telegraph  : Jerry Lee Lewis, Rock & Roll Time, review: 'oozes old-timer class' "At 79 years old, the veteran lends an air of oak-aged country depth on his latest record says Neil McCormick.
  6. "Jerry Lee Lewis: Rock & Roll Time « American Songwriter". October 28, 2014.
  7. Spencer, Neil (October 18, 2014). "Jerry Lee Lewis: Rock & Roll Time review – the Killer's country heart" via www.theguardian.com.
  8. Bernstein, Jonathan (October 28, 2014). "Jerry Lee Lewis 'Rock & Roll Time' Album Review".
  9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Rock & Roll Time - Jerry Lee Lewis | Album | AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 July 2024.