Elvis Presley
Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 Years Old

THE REVIEW

Mr. Presley is 35 years old, and his feast of success is beginning to satisfy him.

Now it no longer matters to win over young girls and oppressed housewives with his typical torch songs filled with adult love or adolescent passion. Thus, during a full rock invasion from every front, the decision is made by the producers and himself to create a concept album with a country flavor, which more prominently displays the hidden aspects of Elvis's life.

By just looking at the cover depicting the artist in his childhood and reading the title and subtitle (I'm 10,000 Years Old), one gets the idea of a presumed inner crisis. Perhaps the performer genuinely feels the weight of the years and responsibilities on his shoulders.

So, between one song and another, small parts of the track I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago (curiously absent from the tracklist) serve as a sound bridge, omnipresently accompanying the various interpretations in bluegrass and rockabilly style.

The martial Tomorrow Never Comes and the relentless Make The World Go Away are pure suffering, which soon takes over the frenzy of other musical incursions.

It is a particular personal and artistic moment of the famous icon, and the album's compositions sometimes are overshadowed in favor of his usual covers or soundtracks belonging to his rich discography.

The image of that rebellious lock of hair so praised and imitated by millions of young people was tainted by reality. The transformation due to excesses and depression was unsettling, from king to jester.

Elvis Country is an excellent USA-made mix strictly anchored to certain sound traditions, and definitely one of the best releases by a boy raised by the people.

The people lift you up, love you, and sacrifice you in the name of the scoop and the news at all costs. If you rise again, you can no longer leave.

And who knows if the guy even cared about immortality.