Raising the Dead, Again.

Ever since 'American Idol' has done the unthinkable and, until then, pretty much the impossible by putting songstress Celine Dion in the same room, on the same stage with none other than the King of rock'n'roll and the ultimate 'Idol' (as Ryan Seacrest so well put it), the number of videos and duets in which one of the artists is dead has increased sensibly. As far as the general opinion is concerned, this is one of the greatest things ever, for the simple reason that it's using modern technology to bring back cultural icons of previous years.

Like, in this particular case, what Lisa Marie is doing with her father Elvis, who passed away 30 years ago. Lisa Marie, who is also an artist known for her own music, thought that it would be a great idea if, on her father's 30th commemoration, she recorded a duet with him. And that's not all: all the proceeds from 'In the Ghetto' will go to charity, in order to build another Presley Place, this time in New Orleans, to accommodate families and people who can't or need assistance in getting back on their feet.

The video (below) was shot by famed director Tony Kaye ('American History X'), who happened to be in New Orleans when Lisa Marie contacted him. So, she says, she jumped on a plane and flew there, and wrapped it in a matter of a couple of hours. Shot exclusively in black and white, the video accompanies one of Elvis' most famous tracks, left little altered at Lisa Marie's insistences. As a matter of fact, the only thing that has been altered about it is the fact that the producers put her voice over the original recording. And not much else.

The video focuses on father and daughter in separate scenes and a couple of children with guns. While the whole concept has already stirred quite a controversy on the Internet (with most people claiming that the clip would have been far better if it had only included Elvis and Lisa Marie), the idea was Lisa's and that's how she had envisioned it. But, if you ask me, that's not what's 'off' about the video, but rather the whole 'false tears going down my cheeks' thing Lisa Marie is trying to pull. Instead of coming off as sad and touching, that whole bit only made me think of 'fake' - and I'm sure that she did not mean it to be that way.

Other than that, the 'In the Ghetto' duet is, aside from something that she should and could have done a long time ago, a great song: while Lisa Marie can't actually rise up to the level of perfection of her father's voice and singing skills, both their voices blend in nicely to create a great song with a specific message. Because, first and foremost, this is not about fame or about riding a famous person's coattails - it's about a greater cause. And, yes, I happen to be an Elvis fan, just like 45% percent of the US population (as a recent poll reveals). So, enjoy the clip and track below!