El Vez

The legendary El Vez brings his "Gospel Show” to an appreciative audience in Madrid with subtle, topical shifts in his infectious shtick. Long known as "the Mexican Elvis,” El Vez is really a pop culture blender who mixes various well-known songs and phenomenon together through an unlikely filter that brings everything back to the King. With political satire and a full-on revue, this 2007 edition of the "Gospel Show” aims to bring people to common ground. "I’ll Fly Away” contains an interpretation of The Jeffersons’ theme song, for example, done less ironically to highlight the sincerity of the latter’s "movin’ on up” sentiment. El Vez strips down to golden hot-pants for an interpretation of "Heartbreak Hotel,” irreverently dedicated to famed Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, in much the same way Steve Martin once paid tribute to King Tut. "Sympathy for the Devil Bush” blends seamlessly into "Immigration Time,” a politically charged send-up of "Suspicious Minds” that tweaks the U.S. border patrol. As a 2001 MuchMoreMusic feature included here indicates, El Vez has stayed on message, pointedly highlighting the frivolity of rock’n’roll in a good natured, persuasive way. Plus: discography, trailers.