PROMISED LAND is one of the two or three best studio albums Elvis made in the last seven years of his life, that is, after 1970. The emphasis is on slower country ballads, but as with any Elvis album there's a mix of styles, from the infectious rocker "Promised Land" to the exotic romance of "Spanish Eyes." Several are spiritually oriented: "Help Me," "I Got a Feelin' in My Body," and "If That Isn't Love." Though Elvis's health had declined some by 1973, there's little evidence of that here - his voice was still strong and he sang with much conviction. Still, the material and Elvis himself seldom equal the benchmark he set in his great 1969 Memphis sessions (check the CD SUSPICIOUS MINDS), but that was perhaps the peak of his career. 　　 　　As with most of his '70s recordings, PROMISED LAND has a very "lush" background of instrumentals and vocals, but in my opinion this is seldom excessive ("My Boy" being an exception) and never is Elvis himself hard to hear. The stereo sound quality is very good, apart from an occasional background hiss. 　　 　　PROMISED LAND is one of three albums that came from Elvis's 1973 "Stax Sessions" in Memphis. Tracks 11-18 on this CD were not on the original album, but are the best songs from the album GOOD TIMES, making this a really great deal. The weakest of the Stax albums, but still well worth having, is RAISED ON ROCK. Together, they disprove the common notion that Elvis was no longer making good music by 1973. Listen to these recordings and hear that he was still The King.