JERRY LEE LEWIS - MEAN OLD MAN: DELUXE EDITION

You would think by now I would be writing this guys obituary, but no, here he is with yet another essential album to add to that pile I already have. As he did on his previous set he goes the guest route, but this one is much better for several reasons. First he covers songs that are a bit more in his style and he revisits some of his classic material with guests that make sense. Guests include Mick, Keith and Ronnie, James Burton, the Hag, Fogerty, Clapton, Gillian Welch and many others. Nineteen tracks in all that prove he’s still got it. Pretty impressive.

JOHNNY MATHIS - LET IT BE ME: MATHIS IN NASHVILLE

Chances are you would have thought it would be the twelfth of never before Mathis would make it down to Nashville to record. Well, he finally got down there and he came home with a wonderful, wonderful, country recording that reminds us a bit of the late sixties and early seventies music that came out of Nashville. Deft production, great song selection and his beautiful voice wrapped around some country standards that never sounded better make for a winning hand. Alison Krauss duets on the title track and Vince Gill steps in on the classic “Lovin’ Arms.”