Danzig ‘Danzig Sings Elvis’ Review: moody frontman lives up his Evil Elvis nickname on collection of Presley covers.
Glenn Danzig has earned the moniker Evil Elvis over the years for a reason. He’s clearly a fan of the 50’s music icon, as his vocal style and love for the blues makes clear.
So it should come as no surprise that he would at some point, pay tribute to the King himself, first on 2015’s cover album Skeletons, and now we have Danzig Sings Elvis (4/24, Cleopatra Records), a full-blown 14 track celebration of the late singer.
Glenn Danzig has never done things just for the money. He always does things his way, and that still applies here. Rather than bash out a collection of Elvis’s greatest hits, he offers something different: beyond three well-known songs, the rest are deep cuts that only diehard Presley fans would be familiar with.
It’s a smart choice, because rather than hit listeners over the head with done-to-death covers, he offers an entry point into Presley’s work, while also putting his own mark on the material.
But it should be mentioned that this is not a metal take on Elvis songs. They are played in the spirit of the original recordings. The closest comparison to make are Danzig ballads like Blood and Tears or Sistinas (he has never gotten his due for his balladeer skills).
Things start on a high note with It Is So Strange, an epic torch song that sees Danzig channeling Presley with a smooth crooned rendition that offers dramatic peaks and valleys in both mood as well as his vocal range.
The first single One Night suffers a bit from muddy production, with slap back vocals that almost completely drown out the backing instrumentation. This should come as little surprise to Danzig fans, as nearly all of his 21st century material has suffered from uneven recordings (including the aforementioned Skeletons).
In past efforts this has marred what were otherwise decent songs, but here, given each track’s sparse arrangements, the effect is more negligible. The focus is, and should be, on Danzig’s vocals, and the album never skimps in that department.
Occasionally he hits a few bum notes (First In Line the most notable), but overall his pipes, although weathered by age, remain an emotive powerhouse.
There are several high points throughout the album: Love Me is given a deconstructed, haunting take, foregoing the choral backing vocals of Presley’s original, while Let’s Play House’s punchy rockabilly has a bit of the Misfits ramshackle delivery. Girl Of My Best Friend is in a similar pop punk vein, with a fun swagger that makes it an instant earworm.
Pocketful of Rainbows is not a song title one would ever imagine to be associated with a sullen character like Danzig, but damned if he doesn’t make it work. Featuring just his vocals, electronic drums, and flecked piano, it’s a stirring bit of broken-hearted melodrama.
Fever is another gem, taking its jazzy tempo to a noirish nadir, with added percussion from ex-drummer Joey Castillo. It’s cinematic and murky, and exactly what you’d hope a Danzig-does-Elvis affair might sound like.
Minus Castillo and guitar work by longtime collaborator Tommy Victor (Prong), Danzig Loves Elvis is a solitary affair, with the frontman performing all other instrumental duties. His musicianship is understated, but it works for the material and compliments his vocals well.
Always On My Mind is more famous for its Willie Nelson rendition, but Danzig gives another surprisingly tender-hearted performance that makes the song his own, while album closer Loving Arms takes things to a grandiose finish with soaring vocals and slow-burn atmospherics.
Cover albums are often seen as less essential to an artist’s discography, but the fun and passion exhibited in Danzig Loves Elvis makes it essential listening for any diehard fan of Danzig, and should also entertain curious Presley enthusiasts, and makes for some nice background music to ease tensions in our social distancing era.
