Glen Ballard was forced to meet some fairly strict deadlines with the Dave Matthews Band, but he has taken his time with another high-profile project.
For the past three years, he has been working with Lisa Marie Presley on her debut album. Although the temptation to rush a quick-hit product into the marketplace was always there, he persuaded the hereditary princess of rock ‘n’ roll to bide her time.
“Even though she’s a celebrity, Lisa Marie is a new artist and this is her first record,” said Ballard, pulling up one of the songs from the album. “When I met her, I asked her two questions: Do you want to make a record, or do you want to be an artist? She said, `I want to be an artist,’ which was the right answer.”
About a year later, though, “she said, `When are we making a record?’ I said, `Wait a minute, I thought you wanted to be an artist?’ It became a long process, because she needed to do more homework.
“She had the desire, but there were too many other things she had to do,” Ballard emphasized. “I wrote several songs with her, and she wrote and recorded one with Billy Corrigan. But we took our time.
“By the third year, it started getting really good. Now, we’re friends again.”
Having a boutique label, Java Records, allows the producer to give artists a “sanctuary” where they can develop their music. Although a distributor might like to release album after album, like a movie studio, some musicians need time to grow.
And, no, there are no digitally enhanced duets with Elvis or her former husband, Michael Jackson, either. But, thanks for asking.