Like other singers of his stripe, Little Richard is in desperate need of some historical revision. For a variety of reasons, the earliest generation of rock 'n' rollers were cut down in their prime as if they were cursed. Whether it was scandal (Jerry Lee Lewis), drugs (Johnny Cash), legal trouble (Chuck Berry), accidents (Carl Perkins) or military service (Elvis Presley), all of these young men ran afoul of fate. "Little Richard" Penniman opted out of touring for a healthier reason - he got religion - but the havoc it wreaked on his recording career was much the same as that which ravaged his peers. Of course there's nothing to be done about decisions made in the past, but curating one's legacy is another matter altogether. Lewis generated some buzz with last year's Mean Old Man. Cash, through a curious combination of stark honesty in his autobiography and the Hollywood romanticism of Walk the Line, has cemented his place in the musical firmament. Berry's still plugging away once or twice a month in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, but has yet to receive the accolades, acclaim, or accounting treatments commensurate with his genius. Perkins has profited from a renewed interest in the Million Dollar Quartet, but will likely continue to be overshadowed by his more famous counterparts. And Elvis, well, his fame is great and growing. If you believe musicians' memoirs, Little Richard was the reason for more high school talent show entrants, rowdy garage bands, piano lessons and guitar sales than any of his contemporaries. Listening to Here's Little Richard, it's not hard to see why. This is youth-oriented party music. Over the course of twelve tracks he doesn't exhibit many different moods, but then who wants to be maudlin while dancing? The vocals throughout are gleeful and raspy, finding Little Richard's voice in various states of frantic disrepair (likely having sung his lungs out the night before). And if his singing is expressive and exclamatory on songs like "Tutti Frutti" and "Rip It Up" then his piano work is downright explosive on "Slippin' and Slidin'" and "Long Tall Sally." Those keys wait for no man. For the closer, "She's Got It," he delivers the lyrics so fast, it almost sounds like Ray Charles on a broken record player. If there's any real criticism to be found, it's either that the scattered recording sessions yielded varying degrees of sound quality or else the years have been kinder to some masters than they have to others. It might also be possible to say that Little Richard isn't well-rounded, that his music lacks nuance. Well, if he's a one-trick pony, then it's worth remembering that this is a pretty damn good trick. Grade: B+
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