Lisa Marie Presley - Now What (2005)

Whatever you think of Lisa Marie Presleyserial bride, Scientologist, Elviss daughter (and lets not even mention Michael Jackson)you cant deny the girl has guts. That was apparent with her long-awaited 2003 recording debut, To Whom It May Concern, but its even more obvious with her sophomore album, the appropriately titled Now What. Though the collection of rockers and ballads reprises the portrait of Presley as an explosively angry woman who feels jumpy in her own skin, it also frames her as a passionate artist with a brilliantly wicked sense of humor and a gift for language (often shamelessly profane), even if the subtleties of her concepts are sometimes opaque. Most of all, the albumtougher, hookier, and more sure of itself than the last oneproves shes serious about a pop-rock career, although her songs are so personal, bitter, and internal its hard to imagine anyone covering them. Still, she relies heavily on collaborators to help her craft her melodies, most often Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes, who worked wonders in polishing the songs of Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, and Pink, who shows up here in a duet on "Shine." As before, Presleys Cher-like vocals are so heavily processed, layered, and tuned that its hard to know what she really sounds like, an oddly glossy counterpoint to her scornful and brutally honest lyrics. But one suspects theres still a softie in there somewhere. She opens a wide window on her vulnerability on the wrenchingly painful "When You Go" and in the alcoholic haze of "High Enough." Throughout the album, Elviss little girl curls her lip as if to say "Ive been through a lot of (expletive deleted), I can give as good as I get, and dont you dare come too (expletive deleted) close!" But as "High Enough" secretly says, you know she hopes youll try. -- Alanna Nash