Honky Tonk Gal by Carl Perkins (Rock)

Personnel includes: Carl Perkins (vocals, guitar); J.B. Perkins, Quinton Claunch (guitar); Stan Kesler (steel guitar); Jerry Lee Lewis (piano); Clayton Perkins (bass); W.S. Holland (drums). Recorded between 1954 & 1957. Includes liner notes by Colin Escott. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Just like the title says, this 13-track collection (recorded between 1954 and 1957) contains six Perkins tracks making their U.S. debut along with three tracks previously unavailable anywhere. The emphasis here is on Perkin's country, rather than rockabilly, side; in fact, on songs like "Turn Around," "Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing," and "What You Doin' When You Crying?" Perkins does a very credible Hank Williams impression, although it is a bit unsettling to hear Mr. Blue Suede Shoes backed up by fiddle and pedal steel. Not the best introduction to his work, of course, but curious fans and/or completists should pounce.