Elvis Presley’s first full-length release after leaving the Army, the aptly titled Elvis Is Back! remains one of the King’s standout albums, and might be his all-time best. While Presley’s records were prone to include inconsistencies (mostly, songs he recorded at the behest of others’ suggestions, either to appeal to a certain audience or tie-in with a film), there’s not one example of musical filler or a single forgettable performance on this 1960 gem.
Ironically, Elvis Is Back! stood as the singer’s most complete release for years, as it presents the musician in a focused mode that would soon be derailed by his subsequent work on thematic movie soundtracks. Demonstrating a slightly more relaxed and mature poise here than on his earlier material, Presley dives into R&B (a wonderful rendition of the Drifters’ “Such a Night”), unabated pop (an upbeat cover of Ral Donner’s “The Girl of My Best Friend”), swooning doo-wop (“Soldier Boy”), torch (Peggy Lee’s “Fever”), and authentic hard blues (a standout reading of Lowell Fulsom’s “Reconsider Baby”) as if he owns them all.
Tracklist
- Make Me Know
- Fever
- The Girl of My Best Friend
- I Will Be Home Again
- Dirty, Dirty Feeling
- The Thrill of Your Love
- Soldier Boy
- Such a Night
- It Feels So Right
- The Girl Next Door
- Like a Baby
- Reconsider Baby
