Thursday, May 31, 2012

Music Box: Lisa Marie Presley


Can't really explain why, but I had such a huge crush on Lisa Marie Presley growing up. We were the same age, and something about her extraordinary life -- as the daughter of the most famous (and formerly most handsome) man in the world and the most beautiful woman in the world, who looked as stunning as you'd expect their child to look -- completely fascinated me, and her reluctance to seek the spotlight made her seem all the more cool. But as she grew older, there was cause for alarm. The Michael Jackson years concerned me, and the Scientology connection concerned me more. Still, when she finally cracked and released an album in 2003, I raced out to buy it. (I even schlepped out to Atlantic City to see her perform, which in truth consisted of her hiding behind a microphone stand the entire evening.) While it was abundantly clear she was no Rosanne Cash, I found "Lights Out" to be instantly catchy. But the rest of the album -- as far as I even recall -- suffered from "everything sounds the same" syndrome, a disease that normally doesn't bother me much. (See: But the Girl, Everything.) When Lisa Marie released her follow-up two years later, its "What Now?" title seemed to say it all, and I never even bothered to get it.


Now happily married (again) and raising twins in the English countryside, she's just put out her first album in seven years, the rootsy T Bone Burnett-produced "Storm & Grace." A reader just sent it to me -- so far so good, in an "everything sounds the same" kind of way -- and with hints that she's pulling away from Scientology, it looks like Lisa Marie Presley might finally have her act together, and my crush may here to stay.

1 comment:

dishy said...

This is such a surpisingly great record - I am elated! Especially because I root for Lisa Marie and am glad she got out of that cult! It's really superb!