A slow, rich, gospel piano starts off the first few bars of 'Amazing Grace,' and then next thing you know--wham, Elvis lives. Elvis Presley may or may not be dead, but he's still releasing CDs. Nearer my God to Thee, along with He is my Everything are the first in a series of five volumes featuring over 56 rare Presley gospel recordings. The king of rock and roll is also the king of the hymnal. Despite Presley's enormous popularity, the only Grammy's he ever received were for his gospel recordings and live performances.
Nearer my God to Thee features a mix of slower, traditional songs like 'Amazing Grace' and 'Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus / Nearer my God to Thee,' which feature a simple piano and choir backing up Presley's familiar voice, as well as more upbeat numbers that sound like classic Presley, including 'Put Your Hand in the Hand' and 'Run On.' These more contemporary gospel numbers include a full band and are reminiscent of oldies radio (hey, Elvis Presley was before my time).
Fans of Presley will find a treasure of gospel tunes, and those who were born a generation or two too late will discover an impressive collection of church music by the none other than the king of rock and roll. But it is most definitely a gospel record--even when Presley spices things up it's still dripping with a southern rock sound.
The only odd thing is when you pause to consider this massive collection of gospel recordings compared to Presley's lifestyle with his share of women, money, and drugs. Apparently Presley had his moments of clarity--followed by moments of un-clarity. But regardless of Presley's questionable spiritual life, this is a collection of inspiring gospel tunes recorded when Presley must have seen the light.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinFurther demonstrating that the Christian music market not only continues to explode and expand, but has become a lucrative goldmine for eager label executives to exploit, RCA Records and the Provident Music Distribution Group have re-released and marketed Elvis Presley's gospel albums directly to the Christian music consumer. Whatever their motives, the premise of introducing Elvis Presley's…
