Lisa Marie Presley. What do you think when you hear that name? Elvis' daughter? A spoiled heiress? Ex-wife to both Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage? How about a songwriter/singer? Yes, indeed, Elvis' daughter seems to have inherited some of her legendary dad's musical ability. I'm pretty sure Elvis didn't have much involvement in writing the vast majority of the songs he sang, but Lisa Marie writes her own material (she generally writes all the lyrics and various songwriters come up with the melodies) and I think it's pretty impressive.
Her most recent CD, 2012's Storm and Grace, was produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett and you can definitely hear his influence. I was immediately drawn in by the opening track, "Over Me," and completely knocked out by the second track, "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet." At first I couldn't get past this track; I loved it so much I just kept hitting repeat. It's got a great southern gothic vibe to it and I could easily picture one of the beautiful dames of the Black Cherry Burlesque troupe dancing to this at the Surly Wench on 4th Avenue. Eventually I made it through the rest of the album and there are plenty of other memorable songs, including "So Long," "Storm Of Nails" and "How Do You Fly This Plane." This album definitely has more of a country vibe than her previous two albums and reminds me quite a bit of Rosanne Cash.
There seems to be a contingent of Lisa Marie haters out there who think she's trading on her dad's fame, Michael Jackson's fame, etc. It's a shame, because she obviously has talent. I think she's got a lot of courage to get out there and go for it knowing there are people who will forever compare her to her father. I picked up her first album, To Whom It May Concern, and thought she did a fine job. That album is definitely more of a pop/rock sound, and she's stated that she was being pushed in that direction and wasn't entirely comfortable with it. I think the current album's style (we have it cataloged as country) suits her voice and style better. I hope you'll enjoy Storm and Grace as much as I did.
GingerMusicKid
