The spirit is willing, even when the material is weak. This transgenerational tribute to a pair of Elvis Presley's legendary Sun Records sidemen finds guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana in sprightly form on songs that evoke rock & roll's good-time era. On All the King's Men's standout opening track, Keith Richards trades licks with Moore and verses with the Band's Levon Helm on the Chuck Berry-esque romp "Deuce and a Quarter." The album closer reunites Ron Wood and Jeff Beck in heartfelt but lackluster hommage to "Unsung Heroes." In between, All the King's Men careers from the gorgeous balladry of the Mavericks to the gritty blues of Joe Louis Walker to the John Lennon-ish fever of Cheap Trick to the cloying sap of Ronnie McDowell. Throughout, Moore and Fontana continue to cut a rollicking groove after three decades away from the limelight, unifying this mixed bag of music. (RS 768)

DON MCLEESE