Lisa Marie falls short
PB369
Review: Lisa Marie Presley, Chris Isaak fall short of the stuff of legends
Jon Bream, Star Tribune August 11, 2003
She has the snarling lip, the swiveling hips and the left leg that won't stop
shaking to the beat. She has the bedroom eyes, too, and the jet-black hair.
But as a singer and entertainer, Lisa Marie Presley has little in common with
her dad. In her Minneapolis debut Saturday at the sold-out Historic Orpheum
Theatre, the pint-size Presley showed some potent material but not a powerful
voice or a commanding stage presence.
Even though this was the last night of her first-ever tour, the most famous
rookie in rock history still hasn't found her comfort zone. She seemed guarded
as a both a singer and performer, afraid to assert her voice in song or in
conversation. She even relied on a lyric sheet on a music stand, festooned with
flowers. (Unlike her dad, she writes her own material; her debut disc, "To Whom
It May Concern," has sold more than 500,000 copies since it was released in
April.)
Presley's songs aren't shy. They are painful purges about betrayal set to a
smoldering modern-rock sound that's more likely to evoke U2 than Elvis. But,
with her dusky Cher-like voice, she didn't project loudly enough on Saturday,
except on her final two numbers, the swampy, hands-on-the-hips "Lights Out"
(about visiting Memphis and seeing her burial plot) and the defiant "Sinking
In" (a post-breakup confrontation about being beaten down in a relationship).
A tabloid princess since the day she was born, the 35-year-old
singer/songwriter didn't seem afraid to be in the spotlight. She just didn't
handle it with aplomb. With a voice that was barely above a hurried whisper,
she talked to the worshipful audience, mentioning her autograph session that
afternoon at the Mall of America, responding to shouts from fans and hoping
headliner Chris Isaak wouldn't pull any tour-ending pranks to embarrass her.
As if on cue, Isaak and his band waltzed onto Presley's stage and presented
her with flowers and a cake with one lit candle. She later reciprocated by
crashing Isaak's encore and planting a huge kiss on his cheek, leaving a
tattoo-like lipstick impression. That playful moment may have said more about
her personality than her own 40-minute performance.
By contrast, Isaak, 47, was very much like Elvis in concert. In fact, Mr.
Entertainer may be a joker to a fault. A chuckles-inducing old-school cut-up
who makes fun of himself, his sidemen and women he brings onstage to dance,
Isaak seemed to forget to take his neo-rockabilly music seriously. He has the
loneliest repertoire this side of the late Roy Orbison's, but on Saturday he
rushed through his unspontaneous schtick and his songs in such a way that the
full impact of his music was not felt.
A few numbers did stand out in his fun and funny, 105-minute performance: his
slow, sexy "Wicked Game," the most controlled four minutes of lust in pop
history; a heartfelt interpretation of Orbison's "Only the Lonely," and the
understated, hopelessly moody "Forever Blue."
Musically, Isaak has almost as many superior vintage-styled songs as Dwight
Yoakam, but he can't get the respect that the neo-honky-tonk country star does.
Maybe it's because Isaak, like Elvis, may be singing a slew of sad songs, but
he simply wants to leave concertgoers feeling good after they have left the
building.
Jon Bream is at 612-673-1719 or<A HREF="mailto:popm...@startribune.com">
popm...@startribune.com</A>.
-MIKE-
ever have gotten a record deal, if she wasn't Elvis' daughter?
-MIKE-
--
http://mikedrums.com
mi...@mikedrumsDOT.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply
Aaron Draper
nepotism in action. Pretty, though. :-)
--
Aaron Draper
www.baileyscomet.net
----------
"Does he think he's Ponce d' Moongel?"
-Sam Savoca
-MIKE- wrote in message ...
Robert Schuh
Who the fuck cares? Don't post this tripe here. What an asshole. Typical AOL moron.
--
Robert Schuh
"Everything that elevates an individual above the herd and
intimidates the neighbour is henceforth called evil; and
the fair, modest, submissive and conforming mentality,
the mediocrity of desires attains moral designations and honors"
- Nietzsche
"The meek shall inherit nothing" - Zappa
BlueM0ZARK
moron.>
geesh...you REALLY need to get the money for your meds....
bja...@users.iwaynet.net
> PB369 wrote:
>> http://www.startribune.com/stories/1405/4034817.html
>> Review: Lisa Marie Presley, Chris Isaak fall short of the stuff of legends
>> Jon Bream, Star Tribune August 11, 2003
<unlike Rob, tripe is snipped>
> Who the fuck cares? Don't post this tripe here. What an asshole.
> Typical AOL moron.
Lessee. He's a moron-asshole for posting this tripe here, and then
you post the whole damn thing again! What does that make you?
(Sorry Bleu-balls, beat you to it!)
Benj
> --
> Robert Schuh
> "Everything that elevates an individual above the herd and
> intimidates the neighbour is henceforth called evil; and
> the fair, modest, submissive and conforming mentality,
> the mediocrity of desires attains moral designations and honors"
> - Nietzsche
> "The meek shall inherit nothing" - Zappa
--
SPAM-Guard! Remove .users (if present) to email me!
Shawn Martin
wrote:
>Who the fuck cares? Don't post this tripe here. What an asshole. Typical AOL moron.
Wow Roberta, that's so original!
Shawn Martin
http://www.drummerman.net
http://www.drummerman.net/shining
Sure, God created the world in seven days, but Taco Bell can make me
four Chalupas in two minutes flat.