While at times disputed as “The King Of Rock and Roll” by other princes such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, Richard Wayne Penniman, aka “Little Richard” is at least part of it’s Mount Rushmore. His entire career was a wrestling match between the bawdy side of rock and roll, with all of its excesses, and the state of peace and grace delivered by the Christian faith, with the latter winning the photo finish by a nose. As he famously said, “If God can 
save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody”.
These four reissues from the early 1970s on find Little Richard during one of his “comebacks”. He originally dropped out of the scene in the late 1950s to return to his spiritual roots, but while his spirit was willing, his flesh was weak, and he returned to a different world of music to which he adapted quite successfully.
While there are hints of his early days of New Orleans R&B dominated by piano and saxes, 1970s The Rill Thing shows a newly dressed sound with guitarist Junior Lowe, pianist Clayton Ivey, bassist Jesse Boyce, drummer Freeman and most importantly, lead guitarist Travis Wammack. The result is a ten minute jam with soulful horns on the funky instrumental title track, and some swampy licks similar to Creedence Clearwater on “Freedom Blues”, “Two Time Loser” and a hot version of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There”. Penniman still can growl out the lyrics as on “Spreadin’ Nata, What’s The Matter?” and he boogies through “Shake A Hand (If You Can)”. As good an attempt to re-take the thrown as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
The 1971 followup was produced by HB Barnum and has Little Richard emphasizing a wide range of covers along with the producer’s own “Green Power” and Memphis Stew of “In The Name.” The title piece is a hoot of a tune as Richard reclaims his throne, while he rocks to some Chuck Berry riffs on “Settin’ The Woods On Fire” and preaches on Creedence Clearwater’s “Born on the Bayou”. He sounds so good on country tunes like Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Cold Cry” that it’s too bad he didn’t do a whole album like this, while he street preaches on “Midnight Special” and “Joy to The World”. His mix of secular and spiritual was a conflict that makes all artists like him the lights that shine through the cracks of life.
1972’s The Second Coming has Little Richard re-united with his famous tenor saxist Lee Allen as well as bari saxist Jim Horn and a swinging team that includes Earl Palmer/dr, Chuck Rainey/b and guitarists George Davis, Mike Deasey, David T. Walker and “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow. Richard and company sound like a return to the vintage Specialty days on the good time “Mockingbird Sally” and “Rockin’ Rockin’ Boogie” while he gets into his roots on the funky “Nuki Nuki” and lays out an Isley Brother grove on “Prophet of Peace”. Allen’s yakety sax wails on “Second Line” and Richard pumps up the pulpit on “Sanctified, Satisfied Toe Tapper”. There are a few bonus tracks, including some hip reads of Quincy Jones tunes like “Money Is”. The king left Elba for this one.
1986’s Lifetime Friend coincided with Little Richard’s return from strictly gospel music via his appearance in the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills. With James Stroud on drumsand Travis Wammack on guitar, Richard deftly mixes gospel sounds and messages with some good old fashioned rock, going full boogie as he preaches on “Someone Cares” and the title tune, and testifies while hitting the organ on “ One Ray Of Sunshine”. His voice is in excellent form, and gets soulful on the sermonette of “Somebody’s Comin’ and pumps up the church for some holy rollin’ on “Great Gosh A’Mighty”. As gospel singer Larry Norman once sang, “Why should the devil have all the good music?”