Since they are accompanied by Elvis' former backup singers, The Jordanaires, one could be excused for thinking that this is some sort of Elvis impersonator's album. Well you couldn't be further from the truth. If you haven't heard Elvis in a long time, then you might think that Robert sounds like him, but in reality it's only the style of the music and the fact they both are baritones.
At worst this is a tribute album, but in reality its interpretations of some of the classic rockabilly and country blues songs that were recorded by Elvis during his hay day. Looking over the track list there's only one song that Elvis even gets a writing credit for, "Don't Be Cruel" and only three others he even held the rights to. Remember Elvis' first big hit "Hound Dog" was written by Big Mama Thornton, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that most of the songs we associate with him were written by other people..
Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding have recorded the fifteen songs on It's Now Or Never as pure undiluted rockabilly without any of the augmentations or concessions to modern audiences that groups like the Stray Cats used to do in the early eighties during the so called rockabilly revival. These songs sound like they could have been recorded at the old Sun Records studio in downtown Memphis back in the 1950's they are so pure and authentic.
You can't fake the sincerity in the voice of Robert Gordon when he sings any of the songs on this disc. Even something as potentially cloying as the old country gospel tune "Peace In The Valley" works because he so obviously means what he sings. He still has wonderful control over his voice, as he's able to dip down into the baritone on "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" and reach up high when needed on "It's Now Or Never".
Article comments
1 - Arjan
"Reunited with legendary guitar hero Chris Spedding for the first time in 20 years...", the cover blurb proudly claims, a somewhat fraudulous statement, since it totally ignores a major CD & DVD release ('Rockin' The Paradiso', Last Call, 2006) as well as four reunion tours in 2005 and '06.
Besides, the only period where they didn't work together was between 1993 and '05, which is only 12 years.
2 - Mike Simms
"Remember Elvis' first big hit "Hound Dog" was written by Big Mama Thornton...."
-------------------------------------------
Where is this guy coming from? Hasn't he heard of Leiber and Stoller?