Jerry Lee Lewis 'Last Man Standing'

Jerry Lee Lewis 'Last Man Standing'

Jerry Lee Lewis 'Last Man Standing': Aidin Vaziri | As if growing old didn't already present enough problems -- like hearing loss, poor eyesight and impaired driving ability -- septuagenarian musicians now have to worry about getting stuck in the studio with a bunch of strangers who smell of leather and hair gel. When arrangements were made for Jerry Lee Lewis to record a 21-track album with guests such as Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, B.B. King and Eric Clapton, his natural reaction was, "I don't need all these people." Of course, he was right. What good is it going to do him to win 18 Grammys and become a billionaire at this point in his life? So Lewis uses "Last Man Standing" as an excuse to stomp all over his duet partners, much like he has done to countless pianos, bottles and wives. Neil Young gets a good whacking on "You Don't Have To," Jimmy Page stands by as Lewis turns in a version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" that's even filthier than the original and, facing off with Little Richard on "I Saw Her Standing There," the pair manage to successfully re-create the sound of the Berlin Wall coming down. The best part is the battle-scarred old coot is still a pistol. Unlike Johnny Cash, he hasn't really had time to digest any of life's hard lessons, so there are no half-dead reflections on train rides and lost relationships. Instead, the man who once married his 13-year-old second cousin rattles off crazy one-liners and kicks his instrument for good measure while duetting with Ringo Starr on "Sweet Little 16." If only the album would have been cut in half (goodbye Kid Rock, Don Henley and Toby Keith) -- it would have been twice as good. It's simple trigonometry.