2023年1月に行われたサンダンス国際映画祭にて上映され、その後もSXSWにて、米国一部の映画館で上映されたR&R創始者の一人、リトル・リチャードのドキュメンタリー映画『Little Richard:I Am Everything』のオリジナル・サウンドトラック。

「ロックンロールのブラック・クィア(黒人の同性愛者)の起源を物語り、アメリカのポップ・ミュージックのうわべを飾った規範を破壊した、革新者であるオリジネーターのリチャード・ペニメン(リトル・リチャードの本名)を明らかにする」というドキュメンタリー映画。

リチャードの複雑な内面に迫る豊富なアーカイヴとパフォーマンスを通して、映画はこのアイコンの人生の物語を、その逆境と矛盾をすべてひっくるめて解き明かす。家族、ミュージシャン、最先端の黒人&クィア研究者へのインタビューを通して、この映画はリチャードがいかに究極の自己表現のための芸術を作り上げたかを明らかにしているが、しかし彼が世界に与えたものは決して自分自身に与えることができなかった。リチャードは生涯を通じて、神、セックス、ロックンロールの間で、ピカピカにひび割れたピンボールのように揺れ動いた。世界は彼を箱の中に閉じ込めようとしたが、リチャードは多くのものを内包する全能の存在であり、彼は臆面もなくすべてだった。

この受賞ドキュメンタリーのサウンドトラックには、「Tutti Frutti」、「Rip It Up」、「Long Tall Sally」といったリトル・リチャードの不朽のヒット曲に加え、ヴァレリー・ジューンとコーリー・ヘンリーのカヴァー2曲、そしてタマル=カリ・ブラウンが作曲した映画のオリジナル・スコアの1曲が収録。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2023/06/29）

There are very few figures in the history of rock & roll more fascinating than Little Richard, an explosive blend of talent, influences, and contradictions who represented the Dionysian freedom of the music like no one else before or since. Richards story has been worthy of a movie for decades, and in 2023, filmmaker Lisa Cortes released the documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything, which traced the peaks and valleys of his career as well as his importance as one of the Black artists who birthed rock & roll (and watched white artists make more money with his songs and style years later), as well as an icon of Queer identity when it dared not speak its name in the entertainment mainstream (though he would also renounce homosexuality after one of several spiritual awakenings). You couldnt tell Little Richards story without his music, and the soundtrack to Little Richard: I Am Everything collects 11 songs from his catalog that were used in the film. This album wasnt compiled to summarize Richards musical career, but to match the musical content of the film, and outside of an early demo for the song "Baby," this strictly features material from his heyday at Specialty Records from 1956 to 1957, and the music sounds just as wild, energetic, and dangerous as it did when it was first recorded. However, the songs have also been reissued umpteen times, and the 1991 compilation The Georgia Peach presents a more complete and satisfying overview of this period. The album also includes three cuts not by Little Richard: Valerie June summons the spirit of Sister Rosetta Tharpe with a cover of her classic "Strange Things Happening Every Day," Corey Henry delivers a faithful but slightly overpolished version of "Tutti Frutti," and Tamar-Kali contributes an atmospheric jazz piece titled "Quasar." If you enjoyed Little Richard: I Am Everything and want a souvenir of the film, the soundtrack is an enjoyable release that replicates the experience and offers some fine, soul-satisfying music. But if you want the full story of Little Richards life as a musician, this leaves much to be desired. ~ Mark Deming

Rovi