Go for the country side

This CD is very like the Charlie Rich R&B sessions/Sings Hank Williams one. The country half of both these CDs are excellent. But, the R&B sides are hopeless on both. The problem here is that there is stuff on the CD that should not be there. JLL did better R&B than those Chuck Berry novelties, the caberat standard "Save the last dance for me" [Nashville Sound, more than R&B] or the likes of "Good Golly Miss Molly". "Big legged woman", "CC rider" and one or two others show what the album could have been. "Teenage letter" is merely a bluesy energetic performance of a song not deserving of it [that word teenage and blues do not mix - sounds like a Pat Boone attempt with balls].

The country side of the record, with "invitation to your party" and "One minute past eternity" becoming hits from it, proved a much more essential and career enhancing collection. And, it is bluesier to boot: "I can't trust me", "How's my ex treating you" and "Rambling rose" knock the socks off of most of the choices on the R&B half. Also, JLL's covers of Moon Mullican's/Hank Williams' "Jambalaya", Hank's "Cold cold heart", Jimmie Rodgers' "Frankie and Johnny" and Jim Reeves' "Home" prove that Lewis could master others' country hits as well. Perhaps the only downside on the country album is the addition of sister Linda Gail's voice on the bluesy "Seasons of my heart" [a song Lewis himself is doing superbly].