Elvis R&B (2006)

The back cover of Elvis R&B -- one of six thematic Elvis comps released during 2006 -- states that this compilation could very well be called Presley's personal playlist, since he loved R&B most out of all music. This is true, since Elvis did indeed love R&B, but that doesn't mean that the 20 tracks on Elvis R&B are all R&B, even when they're R&B covers. As any fan, either of Elvis or rock & roll, knows, part of the King's genius was that he mixed up genres, drawing from country, blues, R&B, and pop to create rock & roll -- ... Read More

The back cover of Elvis R&B -- one of six thematic Elvis comps released during 2006 -- states that this compilation could very well be called Presley's personal playlist, since he loved R&B most out of all music. This is true, since Elvis did indeed love R&B, but that doesn't mean that the 20 tracks on Elvis R&B are all R&B, even when they're R&B covers. As any fan, either of Elvis or rock & roll, knows, part of the King's genius was that he mixed up genres, drawing from country, blues, R&B, and pop to create rock & roll -- and even if the songs hailed from a particular genre, they didn't necessarily sound like they belonged to that genre once Elvis was through with them; you could hear the roots of Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight" on Presley's version, but it doesn't sound like R&B, it sounds like rock & roll. And that's what makes Elvis R&B a bit of an odd listen: it veers from rockabilly and rock & roll covers of R&B and blues songs from Elvis' Sun sessions to late-'50s and '60s hard-driving and soulful R&B, which really does sound more like R&B. It's hard to say that "Baby, Let's Play House" or "Mystery Train" shouldn't be here, but when put next to "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" or "Big Boss Man" or "Reconsider Baby," they don't sound like R&B; they sound like rock & roll (this is also true of "When It Rains, It Really Pours" and "Trying to Get to You," which may have gospel and vocal harmony roots, but don't fit the R&B theme). Even if this makes for a slightly disconcerting listening experience, it doesn't make for a bad one, since every one of these songs is excellent, and hearing them together does result in a good time. It's just in terms of following the theme, R&B is one of the more scattered selections in the 2006 series of thematic comps. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi Read Less