Danzig Lives Up To “Evil Elvis” Moniker On ‘Danzig Sings Elvis’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Dating back to Glenn Danzig’s earliest releases with The Misfits there were comparisons to Elvis Presley, as he has been dubbed “Evil Elvis” by fans in the past. Danzig has always been heavily influenced by the King, even covering him previously on Thrall: Demonsweatlive EP in 1993 and his more recent Skeletons covers album. Now he dedicates a full record worth of tunes as Danzig Sings Elvis does exactly what its title suggests, lovingly covering Elvis in a direct fashion; this is unabashed hero worship.

Perhaps the most surprising thing is how little Danzig messes with Elvis. He puts his own spin on tracks with minimal brooding instrumentation, but he delivers for his idol in conventional fashion even adjusting his vocals to mimic Presley more than he normally would. The key to this collection (raising it above vanity project) is that Danzig doesn’t cover the number one hits from the King of Rock and Roll, he focuses on lesser known tracks that are his personal favorites, exposing new sides of Presley many people may not be familiar with.

Starting with “Is It So Strange” the collection begins strongly as the deep warm voice from Danzig is placed in front of a piano and lightly chugging guitar. “One Night” has a buzzing undercoating while vocally the artist sounds earnest before “Lonely Blue Boy” and “First In Line” are both sparsely populated with barren sounds in a haunting fashion.

The tone shifts to rockabilly for a barroom shimmy on the upbeat “Baby Let’s Play House” while the bass and sleek dark sexiness reaches its climax during “Fever”. Drums and a light groove are injected into “Girl Of My Best Friend” while “Loving Arms” comes off as the most passionate and complete effort, even including some backing vocals.

The Leiber and Stoller classic “Love Me” is a slow weeper that ranks among the best of the bunch while “Pocket Full of Rainbows” seems like an odd choice, but Danzig does an admirable job with the lesser-known song elevating it above the likes of the overly dramatic “Always On My Mind” and the dour “Young and Beautiful”.

One issue with the release is production, for the most part, sound and tone is stripped down to basics while going overboard with reverb on almost every track. Sound issues aside Danzig croons his hero’s tunes with reverence, while far from essential, Danzig Sings Elvis is a pretty cool slice of covers.