Now What (Lisa Marie Presley album)

Now What
Studio album by
Lisa Marie Presley
ReleasedApril 5, 2005
GenreRock, pop rock[1]
Length51:03 (US version)
55:17 (Japanese version)
LabelCapitol
ProducerEric Rosse, Lisa Marie Presley, Michael Lockwood
Lisa Marie Presley chronology
To Whom It May Concern
(2003) 		Now What
(2005) 		Storm & Grace
(2012)
Singles from Now What
  1. "Dirty Laundry"
    Released: February 14, 2005[2]
  2. "Idiot"
    Released: July 19, 2005[3]
  3. "Thanx"
    Released: July 25, 2005[4][5]

Now What is the second studio album from American singer Lisa Marie Presley. Released on April 5, 2005, in the United States and Canada, it was Presley's last album released under Capitol Records. Two singles were released from the album, a cover of Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" and "Idiot".

In the US, an exclusive version of the album sold at Walmart contained a card with a code to download an acoustic version of the song "Thanx".

Reception

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[6]
Now2/5[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Slant[9]

Upon its release, the album received generally mixed reviews from music critics.[10] On review aggregate site Metacritic, the album holds a score of 60 out of 100.[10]

In a review for Entertainment Weekly, critic Jenny Williams praised Presley's cover of "Dirty Laundry" as "sultry" and fitting for her "fiery persona", but argued that Presley's vocal style "can't win the battle against the disc's glossy production".[6] Critic Elizabeth Bromstein, writing for Toronto newspaper Now, deemed the album "well constructed and melodic but ultimately lacklustre and heavy on the downtempo emotional", singling out covers "Dirty Laundry" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" as highlights.[7] AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the album was better than her debut and had stronger hooks, deeming it an "Album Pick" from Presley's discography and identifying "I'll Figure It Out", "Thanx", and "Shine" as highlights.[1]

Commercial

On the Billboard 200 chart dated April 13, 2005, Now What debuted at number 9, with first-week sales of 56,000 copies.[11] It was the second-highest debut of the week, behind only Faith Evans' The First Lady, which opened at number 2.[11]

Legacy

In a January 2023 article for the New York Post, following Presley's death, music journalist Chuck Arnold praised Presley's decision to cover Henley's "Dirty Laundry" rather than an Elvis song.[12] Arnold argued that although an Elvis cover would have been more commercially successful, "You have to give Presley credit... for not riding her dad’s coattails", also praising "Dirty Laundry" as "a perfect song for Presley" to cover.[12]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Lisa Marie Presley except: "Dirty Laundry", written by Don Henley and Danny Kortchmar; and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", written by Joey Ramone. All music composition authors listed below.

  1. "I'll Figure It Out" (Linda Perry, Presley) – 3:28
  2. "Turbulence" (Michael Lockwood, Presley) – 3:56
  3. "Thanx" (Perry, Presley) – 4:26
  4. "Shine" featuring Pink (Perry, Presley) – 4:10
  5. "Dirty Laundry" (Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar) – 4:28
  6. "When You Go" (Anthony Penaloza, Presley) – 4:11
  7. "Idiot" (Perry, Presley) – 4:09
  8. "High Enough" (Perry, Presley) – 4:36
  9. "Turned to Black" (Lockwood, Presley, Rosse) – 5:27
  10. "Raven" (Perry, Presley) – 5:03
  11. "Now What" (Perry, Presley) – 3:54

+ "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" (Jeffrey Hyman) – 2:57 (hidden track)
Originally planned to be recorded for The Ramones tribute album We're a Happy Family (2003); Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones plays lead guitar.

"Yellow to Blue" (Perry, Presley) – 4:12 (Japanese bonus track)

"Thanx" (acoustic)
Offered as a bonus download redeemable with a special code that only came with versions of the album sold at Wal-Mart.

Singles

  • "Dirty Laundry"
  • "Idiot"

B-sides

Charts

Chart performance for Now What
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 76
US Billboard 200[15] 9

References

  1. ^ a b c Thomas, Stephen (April 5, 2005). "Now What (edited) – Lisa Marie Presley". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  2. ^ "Going for Adds - 2/14/05" (PDF). World Radio History. R&R. February 11, 2005. p. 27. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". November 1, 2009. Archived from the original on November 1, 2009.
  4. ^ "Going for Adds - 7/25/05" (PDF). World Radio History. R&R. July 22, 2005. p. 21. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "Reviews / Singles" (PDF). World Radio History. Billboard. July 23, 2005. p. 40. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Now What". Entertainment Weekly. April 21, 2005. Archived from the original on April 21, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Bromstein, Elizabeth (April 14, 2005). "Now What — Lisa Marie Presley". Now Toronto. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  8. ^ Walters, Barry (April 7, 2005). "Lisa Marie Presley — Now What". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (April 10, 2005). "Review: Lisa Marie Presley, Now What". Slant. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Now What at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Billboard Staff (April 13, 2005). "50's 'Massacre' Extends Chart Lead To 6th Week". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Arnold, Chuck (January 13, 2022). "How Lisa Marie Presley refused to ride dad Elvis' coattails — even if it hurt her music career". New York Post. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. April 14, 2005. Archived from the original on April 17, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lisa Marie Presley – Now What". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  15. ^ "Lisa Marie Presley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2023.