Just Roll With It

The addition of bass and special guests Left Hand Frank and Lefty Dizz only distract from the chemistry between Cub and the Houserockers (even more obvious on their belated live follow-up), but this is a strong session, with the ex-stadium boogie boy sounding totally at home with these blues veterans. His vocal duet with Brewer Phillips on J.B. Lenoir's "Talk to Your Daughter" is a joy, and thankfully not every note is perfectly in place — or in the case of Brewer's guitar, in tune. Added treats: Koda's big-toned harp on "Rockin' This Joint Tonight" and humorous dialog with Frank on "Dirty Duck Blues."

Little Richard was not the only original rock & roller to attempt a comeback in the late '60s and early '70s, but he may have been the one to take the greatest musical risks. Fats Domino merely updated his sound (albeit in a charming fashion), Jerry Lee Lewis refashioned himself as a hardcore country singer, and Chuck Berry pandered with "My Ding-A-Ling," but Little Richard pushed himself on his three albums for Reprise, all of which were collected – along with his contributions to Quincy Jones' 1972 Dollar$ soundtrack album, non-LP singles, session outtakes, and a complete unreleased album from 1972 called Southern Child – in 2005 by Rhino Handmade for the triple-disc set The King of Rock and Roll.

The most popular exponent of the classic New Orleans R&B sound, Fats Domino sold more records than any other black rock & roll star of the 1950s. His relaxed, lolling boogie-woogie piano style and easygoing, warm vocals anchored a long series of national hits from the mid-'50s to the early '60s.

This may be the best series of rockabilly compilations I've run across, and I've blown a lot of money on some mediocre crap. You get a ton of solid senders from fairly obscure names that run the gamut from hillbilly to rockin' boppers.