There are literally hundreds of albums featuring Elvis tribute artists. While most are instantly forgettable, once in a while a singer comes along with a voice that is eerily reminiscent of The King. The late Jimmy (Orion) Ellis, Belfast's James Brown, and leading US tribute artist, Doug Church, are examples of singers whose voices are very similar to Elvis'. In Australia, tribute artist El Gamble may not look a lot like Elvis, but his voice is remarkably similar. On his latest CD release, In The King's Shadow Vol. 1, El Gamble showcases a fine variety of twenty-two well known and fan pleasing Elvis songs.

El Gamble really nails Elvis on the opening two tracks, A Mess Of Blues and A Fool Such As I, and quickly continues his success with I Gotta Know and Ain't That Loving You Baby.

Giving the album a nice balance, El Gamble contrasts the sassy, bluesy Mean Woman Blues, Steamroller Blues and I Feel So Bad with excellent ballads such as the sad Separate Ways, boppy The Girl of My Best Friend and toe tappin' One Broken Heart for Sale. Listening to El Gamble sing The Girl of My Best Friend I thought I had been transported back to the recording of the Elvis Is Back album, albeit with a slightly heavier bass sound than the original.

Other notable tracks include a precipatant Kentucky Rain, heartfelt It Hurts Me and playful Teddy Bear, while Follow That Dream, One Broken Heart For Sale and the surreal Edge of Reality will revive memories (at least for many older fans) of going to the local picture theater or drive-in with your partner to see the latest Elvis movie.

Also in the mix are great versions of the underrated 1960s track, Kiss Me Quick, the beautiful (if vocally slightly deeper than the original) Memories, and country flavored She Thinks I Still Care. Arguably the only weakest link on the album is In The Ghetto which suffers from poor pacing and too much bass reverb (but given the quality of the rest of the album this is of minor concern).

The remaining tracks are a mournful Elvisesque Funny How Time Slips Away, lively Little Sister, and emotional Until It's Time For You To Go.

While El Gamble's "Elvis" voice isn't always spot on, In The King's Shadow is a first-rate tribute album that will surprise many, and one that you will play more than once.

In The King's Shadow was recorded at Dane Studios in Melbourne and released in 2004. The cover visual is nicely symbolic of the album's title and the disc is a simple silver production.

About El Gamble: El Gamble has a long musical pedigree. He has performed with artists such as John Farnham; Australia's King of Rock & Roll, Johnny O'Keefe; international superstar, Kylie Minogue; Normie Rowe and Kamahl.

Notably, El Gamble was Australia's first Elvis tribute artist when, in the mid 1970s, he presented his "Elvis Show" and performed to packed houses for a record 286 consecutive shows! During this time he also received four "E" awards.

El Gamble would soon be followed by other well known Elvis tribute artists in a young Roy Hawkins and the enduring Eddie Youngblood.

In the past twenty-five years El Gamble has also fronted several well known Australian bands including The Rainbows, Fat Chance and The Cadillacs.

Fans can find out more about the Melbourne based El Gamble by telephoning Event of Events Pty Ltd 1300-732863 (local call cost in Australia) or +61397636600 (international).

El Gamble album update:

The good news is El Gamble has recorded three great new albums and they are now available:

Event of Events has a very attractive pricing plan where you can buy 1 album for $20.00, any 2 El Gamble albums for $30.00, 3 for $40.00, and the set of 4 albums for $50.00. Postage is extra.

El Gamble #1 on Elvii Tribute Radio: In other El Gamble news, his music has been featured on the popular Elvii Tribute Internet Radio network. El Gamble was voted as the #1 Elvis tribute artist featured on the online radio network last week. Considering the competition, names like Doug Church, Tom Green and Jamie Coyne...that's a real testament to El Gamble's singing ability! If you like ETA's check out Elvii Radio...it's FREE and there are some great artists to listen to, including El Gamble! (News, Source: Event of Events Pty Ltd)

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