Lisa Marie Presley

April 18, 2012, 9:50 am

On May 15, Lisa Marie Presley will release "Storm and Grace" – her first album in five years and her Universal Republic/XIX Recordings debut.

LISA MARIE PRESLEY


"Storm and Grace" is a marked departure from the hard-edged sound of Presley’s earlier albums – 2003’s RIAA Gold-certified "To Whom It May Concern" and 2005’s "Now What," both of which debuted in the Top 10 of The Billboard 200. The organic instrumentation of "Storm and Grace" reflects her Southern roots, from the ominous, swampy vibe of lead single “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” and “Sticks And Stones” to “Soften The Blows” and the achingly beautiful title track, which evoke the ease of an impromptu back porch jam session.

Presley’s smoldering alto is hypnotic in the rootsy opener “Over Me” as she reflects on being replaced in a lover’s affections. While "Storm and Grace" offers an unflinching examination of life and love – beginning with her own shortcomings on “Un-Break” – there is a tender, consoling thread that runs throughout, pointing towards peace and reconciliation. “Weary” may concern a relationship that didn’t work out, but it is suffused with a genuine warmth, as Presley sings: “I will always love you/you can move on, dear.”
 
“Just over two years ago, I went to England to attempt to write another record after finding myself in a considerably disheartened and uninspired state creatively. Over an eight-month period, I wrote 30 songs. I was fortunate to be able to write with some incredible artists and singers such as Richard Hawley (from Pulp), Ed Harcourt, Sacha Skarbek and Fran Healy (from Travis), to name a few,” recalls Lisa Marie Presley.  “Nothing was planned or contrived in any way and out of it came a very organic record that was always inside of me and that I am incredibly proud of. It was a dream come true and such an honor when T Bone liked the songs and produced and played on the record.”

“When songs from Lisa Marie Presley showed up at my door, I was curious. I wondered what the daughter of an American revolutionary music artist had to say. What I heard was honest, raw, unaffected and soulful. I thought her father would be proud of her. The more I listened to the songs, the deeper an artist I found her to be. Listening beyond the media static, Lisa Marie Presley is a Southern American folk music artist of great value,” says T Bone Burnett.

“Her rich, smoky vocals evoke Sheryl Crow and occasionally bear traces of Courtney Love’s ragged disaffection,” said Entertainment Weekly of Presley’s debut album, "To Whom It May Concern", while the Los Angeles Times called the lead single, “Lights Out,” “one of the most hauntingly personal songs” of the year. AllMusic.com praised "Now What" as “genuine…due largely to her willingness to lay herself bare in her music and lyrics.” While it may differ sonically, "Storm and Grace" is equally revealing.  

The album photo shoot for "Storm and Grace" was shot at and around Graceland in Memphis.

Read the Rolling Stone interview HERE.

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