Sometimes referred as the female Elvis Presley, often called the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson was, and is the first great female rocker. While dating (yes, he was her boyfriend) and touring on the same bill as Presley in the mid-1950s, The King, himself, encouraged the young Jackson to mix country with jumpy rock ’n’ roll. Fifty years later, this long overdue set serves as both the follow-up to 2003’s Heart Trouble and a delayed but sincere and heartfelt thank you to Presley.

Jackson’s backing band is stellar — Danny B. Harvey on guitar, bassist Razor X, Don Randi on piano and Blondie drummer Clem Burke. The songs on I Remember Elvis are mostly from Presley’s Sun and early-RCA days, and Jackson does each and every one of them justice. The best tracks are: “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Mystery Train,” “Love Me Tender” and the autobiographical “I Wore Elvis’ Ring.” Though the songs are known to almost everyone on the planet, Jackson’s personality and phrasing shines through. The resulting album is a blistering honky-tonking success.

The collection also includes Jackson’s spoken remembrances of Presley, rare photos and insightful liner notes penned by Elvis Costello, who has lead a campaign to get Jackson her long-overdue recognition and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.