Quote:

"Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century."

(Leonard Bernstein)


Quote:

"If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary; If you're not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible."

(George Klein)


Quote:

"For a dead man, Elvis Presley is awfully noisy."

(Professor Gilbert B. Rodman)


Quote:

"History has him as this good old country boy, Elvis is about as country as Bono!"

(Jerry Schilling)

 

 

 

 


EIN's "Lisa Marie Presley World"

 

 

Reviews

Concert review: Lisa Marie Presley proves she's her own performer - by Peter Gilstrap (October 2006)

Let’s face it. It’s difficult — downright impossible — to watch Lisa Marie Presley onstage and not be reminded of the fact that that the woman before you is the issue of the loins of the King of Rock and Roll. In terms of judging her as an artist unto herself, that may not be fair (after all, no one expects Candice Bergen to wedge a ventriloquist dummy onto her lap and start doing comedy routines). Yet Lisa Marie is and forever will be part of the lore, part of the legend; the old man named his jet after her, for crying out loud. It doesn’t help that the Toddler of Graceland looks so much like Elvis, yet it’s all part of Presley’s only child, multi-million dollar cross to bear.

During her appearance Wednesday night at City Hall, Presley was very much her own performer (though she did toss out a brief, genetically programmed lip-lifting sneer during her opening number, “I’ll Figure It Out,”). She paced the stage clad in long black sleeves under a white T-shirt, plaid mini skirt, black leggings and Chuck Taylor high tops, a look that was more early Katrina (as in “and the Waves") than ’06 power pop sex pot.
Which is not to say that the foxy mother of two didn’t cast a unique spell on the 300 or so devout followers who showed up to scream and mouth lyrics. Presley has the sultry, sassy demeanor of a truck stop waitress who serves up plenty of flirty lip and delicious attitude, which only makes you want to leave a bigger tip and ask her when she gets off because you’re just passing through and, well, never mind.

For the entirety of the 14-song set comprised of material from her two albums (the singer has only been a singer officially since 2003’s To Whom It May Concern; her sophomore album is Now What), Presley owned the crowd. To some ears, her music may be predictable, generic, guitar-driven pop, but let it be said that to the aural receptors at City Hall, it was cause for celebration. Between each number, there were constant screamed declarations of love from fans of both sexes, which Presley graciously and meticulously returned.

At times, the whole thing seemed more like a question-and-answer session than a momentum-driven juggernaut of rock, but who cared? When it comes to responding to the audience, happily, Miles Davis she’s not. On this, her third appearance in Nashville, the singer fielded questions, handed out guitar picks, even shot a photo of a fan on the woman’s cell phone camera, interesting, as fan photography of Presley herself was strictly verboten.

The anything-goes mood was set when, after the initial number, someone (allegedly show opener, wacky dorm room heart throb Ryan Cabrera) placed, as Presley put it, “something on the stage that does not belong here.” Which was, in fact, a large black rubber phallus, complete with a handy suction cup on one end, which her guitar player used to attach to his Gibson.

Far from rattling her, Presley seemed to enjoy the moment, and dug right into the set. Her voice was in fine shape (with help from something she sprayed down her throat repeatedly), her husky lower ranged pipes proving a worthy compliment to songs like “Turbulence,” “Idiot” and Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry.”

Returning for strongly demanded encore, Presley seemed genuinely touched.

“You really want me to come back. I could really feel that,” she offered, and when she blew a kiss to the faithful, it seemed far more authentic than the one she planted on Michael Jackson so many years ago.

Lisa Marie Presley in concert (review): If her last name wasn't Presley, Lisa Marie would be one of countless talented singers and songwriters still trying to figure out what it takes to be a good performer and a relevant artist. At the Supper Club, Presley showed once again that she has a great voice that she still isn't completely sure how to use and her lack of experience on stage (she's only been performing for less than three years) still drags her down. She's still learning about pacing - the first half of the 75-minute set featured a string of songs that all seemed to run together, from "S.O.B." to "Turbulence" to "Indifferent." She still seems uncomfortable in the spotlight. And she easily gets distracted by the crowd, not having mastered the ability to deal with demanding fans yet. All of that is made even more maddening by the fact that when she gets in her zone, as she is in the last half of her set, she can be fantastic. The acoustic version of "Now What," the moving title track from her latest album, is powerful, as is "Idiot," the punk-pop confection on the other end of the emotional scale. Those songs, along with her first hit, "Lights Out," show how much potential she has. To her credit, Presley also brought along opener Angela McCluskey, who basically offers a master class in all the areas Presley needs to improve on. McCluskey was delightful during her 45-minute set of songs from her underappreciated "The Things We Do" album. She turns on the alt-country charm in "Wrong Side" then rocks it up in "Perfect Girl," while the pretty pop of "It's Been Done" plays to her strengths. Even Cyndi Lauper's surprise appearance with Presley seemed instructional. Before she even began singing, Lauper commanded the stage, ensuring that the sound mix was right and explaining to Presley's band how to watch for her cues. By the time she began "She Bop," Lauper had whipped things into shape. Presley should have been taking notes. (Concert Review, Source: Sanja Meegin, May 2005)

"Now What" reviewed: EIN gives you a track-by-track analysis of Lisa Marie Presley's second album. A strong follow-up and and aurally more accessible to To Whom It May Concern. (CD Review, Source: EIN)

"Now What" review: The Associated Press published this review of Lisa's second album on 5 April. (CD Review, Source: AP, 5 April 2005)
Dirty Laundry - Lisa Presley's new single reviewed: With a less dark (but just as potent) lyric than tracks on her first album (To Whom It May Concern), the first single from Lisa's second album, What Now, is a good choice for her strong, deep vocal. (CD Review, Source: EIN, 29 Jan 2005)
Lisa Presley rocks Sydney!: The day The King's daughter came to town. And guess what?.... Lisa Marie Presley can sing, LMP can rock. (Source, EIN, 19 March 2004)
Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll - The Lisa Marie Presley Story: Earlier this year the second biography published about Lisa Marie Presley was released in the USA. EIN gives its candid opinion of this flawed mass market paperback. (Book Review, Source: EIN, Oct 2004)
Elvis My Dad: How does a 14 year-old book about The King's daughter rate today? Is it worth buying? EIN takes a look inside the first biography of Lisa Marie Presley. (Book review, Source: EIN)
"To Whom It May Concern" - Lisa Marie Presley makes a statement with her surprising, strong debut album: The daughter of the King of Rock and Roll has released her long awaited debut album. Interestingly, reviews have been mixed with rock music critics giving it the thumbs up for its raw and gritty edgy qualities while many Elvis fans bewildered by its ‘different’ sound are giving it the thumbs down. (Source: EIN, May 2003)
Strong debut single by The King's daughter: This is a strong debut for Lisa Marie Presley. The two tracks 'Lights Out' and 'Savior' complement each other beautifully. (Source: EIN, March 2003)

 

 

Reviews
Book: Elvis Handbook
CD: Love, Elvis
FTD: Kid Galahad
Love, Elvis
CD: Dirty Laundry
FTD: Follow That Dream
CD: We Have Not Rehearsed Them
Book: The Presley Arrangement
Book: Rough Guide to Elvis
CD: Continuing Story of Memory Records
FTD: On Tour Rehearsals
Book: The Elvis Album
CD: Christmas Peace
Book: The Memphis Lullaby
DVD: '68 Comeback Special
DVD: Elvis In Concert (3 hour version)
Articles
Beware of fake bootlegs!
Most celebrity autographs fake!
Elvis & other major artists miss out on Grammy Awards
Hugh Jarrett (Jordanaires)
Elvis vs. wrestler Jerry Lawler!
It's time for an "Elvis' Greatest Hits" DVD!
SFX filing to buy EPE
Thank God 1981 sale of EPE didn't happen
Sale of EPE - good or bad?
Bridge over troubled water
New owner of EPE
Elvis Fans - The Following
Redefining Elvis
How did Elvis die?
Elvis Film Bio
500 million fans can't be wrong?
 
Interviews
Mick Gerace
Greg Page
Bill Burk
Lisa Presley on EPE sale
Larry King transcipt
Red & Sonny West
Paul Simpson
Ed Bonja (Part 2)
Ernst Jorgensen
Phil Aitcheson (Presley Commission)
 
Did you miss?
Online Elvis Symposium
Exclusive excerpts from "The King Is Dead"
All about Lisa Presley
All about Graceland
FTD review- Elvis: New Year's Eve
DVD Review: Elvis Presley The Last 24 Hours
Elvis vs. Bing: who really was The King?

 

Elvis Odd Spot (updated 12 Feb)