Rock A Little was my first Stevie album, is still my favorite, and still gets the most play time from her catalog. Something doesn't have to be 'the best' to be 'the favorite'.
It's not that it's better than her other works (it's not). It's just a bit of nostalgia, I guess, for the period of time when all things Stevie were new and exciting. I still get that old feeling listening to Rock A Little - when Sister Honey or Imperial Hotel or No Spoken Word kick in - and no other album or song that she's ever recorded, except some of her demos, can give that same feeling. Mabel Normand is the same - it has that same energy that permeates most of Rock A Little.
Rock A Little doesn't need to hold up, in my opinion - it's a time capsule and should be thought of as one. Not all music is timeless, and that's OK.
