Promised Land

1975年作が180G重量盤リイシュー!!

エルヴィス・プレスリーの40歳の誕生日である1975年1月8日に発売された21枚目のスタジオ・アルバム「PROMISED LAND」。ビルボード・トップ200で47位、ビルボード・トップ・カントリー・チャートで1位を獲得した一枚で、このアルバムからは2つのヒットシングル"If You Talk in Your Sleep"とタイトル曲"Promised Land"が生まれています。

後者は1997年に公開されたSFコメディ映画「メン・イン・ブラック」にも使用されており、キング・オブ・ロックンロールによる不朽の名曲!!

Promised Land came from the last studio recordings that Elvis Presley ever made in Memphis, the city where his fame and his legend started. The December 1973 Stax Records sessions showed him, as he had on From Elvis in Memphis, reaching out to publishers other than those he owned for songs, and the repertory embraces material by Chuck Berry, Waylon Jennings, and Larry Gatlin, among others. With the best players on hand and an upbeat mood when these songs were cut, and the singer himself lean and rested after a couple of years of concertizing, the vibes throughout this album were positive (and then some). Elvis sounds bold and confident in ways that make this album a diverting, if not profoundly exciting experience. It's not as distinctive or as involved a personal document as Elvis Country or the concentrated soul workout of From Elvis in Memphis, but it does feature some fine, passionate singing throughout (most notably on "It's Midnight," a wrenching performance). ~ Bruce Eder