Now, Who's Gonna Save Me Next Time?

(Singles are italicized, recommendations are in red.)

Lisa Marie Presley has been a name that many people have seen in the news, across tabloids, and in entertainment for a while. Not only is she the daughter of The King (Elvis), but she's also notorious for her many marriages, most notably to The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. So it's a wonder why she decided to wait until 2003 to launch her music career, with her debut album To Whom It May Concern (for which a review will be coming later tonight or tomorrow). I will admit, back in 2005 when this album was first released, it was a total blind-buy for me. I was in my local Costco and had returned a CD, and was hungry for new music. I recognized LMP's name because her song "Lights Out" had been on the Now 13 compilation around the time of its release, and I liked it. In any case, her sophomore effort, Now What has proven that she only gets better with each album, and with a third album tentatively scheduled for later this year, it's obvious that there's no stopping Ms. Presley anytime soon.

1. I'll Figure It Out - What a great way to open up an album. She gets really into it, and you can tell it here.

2. Turbulence - It just keeps getting better! Here we find an angry Presley saying "You're the last little s**t // That anyone expected could put me through this // Yeah, f****r, it's true". Near the halfway point, her vocals REALLY pick up, sending the listener (or at least me), into an intense, rocker sensation that make you want to get up and rock out. Or punch somebody's lights out.

3. Thanx - This one really took a while to grow on me, but it did, and it's a great song. It's simply LMP's thank-you song to those who've stuck by her through the good and bad times.

4. Shine (featuring P!nk) - A somewhat inspirational track, with background vocals by P!nk (who, if you're not familiar with, is an equally angry and hostile female singer). It's a bit mellow, but still good. If I had to choose, I'd say this is the weakest track on here.

5. Dirty Laundry - The album's first single! It's also a cover of a popular 1980's rock song by Don Henley. It's pure awesomeness at its finest (I know, not really a word, but it's all I can use to express my feelings). I was confused at first, because she leaves out a verse halfway through the song, but the lyrics to that verse are printed in the album's liner notes. Oh well.

6. When You Go - As close to "ballad" as the album gets, this song is one of my favorites.

7. Idiot - The angriest song on the album is probably one of the best. It hasn't been said just exactly who the song was written about, but maybe that's for the better. Wouldn't you be humiliated if the chorus to a song about you was "Oh please // Remember me // Believe // In me as someone // Who's never gonna wish you well // Oh please // Remember me // Believe // In me as someone // Who wants you to go to Hell". Oh, and you can't forget the lines like "I wanna mutilate myself // When I talk to you". Whew! Later in 2005 this awesome song was accompanied by an equally awesome music video, as it became the albums second and final single. I'll be honest, though. If I had a dollar for all the people I wish I could dedicate this song to, I'd be a friggin' millionaire.

8. High Enough - This one's just plain eerie. I never totally warmed up to it, but if it wasn't so creepy (her vocals, the music), I'd like it more.

9. Turned to Black - This is another one I didn't immediately warm up to at first, but I ultimately liked it a lot. The guitar, the drums, the vocals. Everything about it is just genius.

10. Raven - I heard somewhere that LMP wrote this song to her mother. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but regardless it's a very sweet, forgiving song.

11. Now What - Here we have a very beautiful track that is mainly just vocals and guitar. It's an awesome song that finds LMP leaving her lover.

BONUS TRACKS:

12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - (It should be noted that on U.S. pressings, this song is appended to the end of track 11, resulting in a 7-minute running time). This is a very well done cover of a Ramones song, that was originally intended to be on a Ramones tribute album. For some reason, it never made it there, but luckily she used it for the album.

13. Yellow to Blue - I'm so disappointed that this wasn't included on U.S. editions of the album. It's one of my absolute favorite LMP songs. After years of searching, some wonderful person posted it on YouTube and I'm loving it. (Only available on Japanese pressings of the album, though I'm not sure if it's indexed as its own track or appended to track 12...if Here Today, Gone Tomorrow is indexed as its own track. If not, then I assume Now What, HTGT and this one are all one giant track.)