[.ca] Promised Land

The poor boy's on the line:
This album by Elvis was recorded in December 1973. It was a productive recording session, resulting in some (mostly) good songs. The highlights include Elvis' last great rocker "Promised Land", the gospelish "Help Me", the powerful ballad "It's Midnight", and the underrated "If You Talk in Your Sleep". Fans of late period Elvis should enjoy this one.

Sappy:
An album titled "Promised Land" (a really great rock n' roll song by Chuck Berry) ought to be good, right? Well, yeah, it ought to be. And Elvis Presley's rendition of the title track is okay, although Berry's is better. But the rest of the album is just plain awful. I'm sorry, but it is. And I'm sorry mainly because I have actually paid money for these bland, indistinguishable ballads and greasy Vegas-styled love songs from the "Bierstuben" of Bavaria. Now, Presley was usually a pretty good balladeer, but hearing him croon his way through nine more or less similar and very much less than memorable Julio Iglesias-like pop songs and overblown country songs is exceedingly boring. I know that "real" Elvis fans feel that people like me, who don't consider Presley to be the greatest thing ever, should be barred from writing reviews (and possibly shot). But I don't hate Elvis Presley...in fact, I think his early Sun singles and his tough 1968 comeback performances are some of the greatest rock n' roll you'll ever hear. This album, however, suffers greatly from an almost total lack of really good material, and those of us who aren't blown away by the very sound of Presley's (sometimes overly honeyed) voice will find very little of interest on "Promised Land". It seems like any songwriter with an ounce of talent must have been able to sell a handful of forgettable, saccharine pop songs to Presley around this time.

Elvis in 1973 still giving 100% of his talent:
Elvis has received a lot of critisism for his later recordings which i feel is unjustified.This album is full of top quality tracks that still sound great in 2004.Give this a go - you will not be let down by the Artist Of The Century.

• Promised Land
• There's A Honky Tonk Angel (Who Will Take Me Back In)
• Help Me
• Mr. Songman
• Love Song of the Year
• It's Midnight
• Your Love's Been a Long Time Coming
• If You Talk in Your Sleep
• Thinking About You
• You Asked Me To