She was dubbed a “rock princess,” but Lisa Marie Presley staked her own musical claim as a singer-songwriter, allowing her to express herself apart from — but sometimes alongside — her megastar father.
Presley, who died Thursday at 54, bore a heavy weight: The daughter of musical royalty, the face of the Elvis estate and fodder for tabloid gossip about her marriages.
As the sole heir of Elvis’ estate, her early life was defined by the Elvis brand and her role building that legacy with her mother Priscilla. That often meant Elvis fans put their own feelings about her father and his music onto her and Priscilla. She was 35 and a mother when her debut album “To Whom It May Concern” came out in 2003. The music was in the vein of the rock-pop sound influenced by Sheryl Crow, her sultry alto over distorted guitars and raw dark lyrics that hinted at her past relationships.
Hughes said he still regularly plays the “Lights Out” music video for his students when he teaches about Elvis. Author Steve Baltin, who interviewed her several times over her career, said within music circles Presley was able to be herself and be accepted for her own talent. During her career, she worked with Pink, T Bone Burnett, Linda Perry, Richard Hawley, Ed Harcourt and many more.
On the song “Sticks and Stones,” she addresses critics with scorching mimicry, singing “She’s ain’t just like her daddy/oh what a shame/She’s got no talent of her own/it’s just her name.”“That record, in particular, was the first time that she really started to accept who she was and accept all of her roots and how this played into her,” said Baltin. “So I think it was the record that was most completely her because she wasn’t trying to deny her past.
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