I originally was going to do my standard song-by-song review of the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. However, I soon realized this would essentially turn into a review of the actual film, which I want to avoid analyzing for now.

Cover of the EPiC soundtrack (2026, Sony)

The soundtrack is inextricably intertwined with the movie, which isn’t to say they just laid down the exact audio of the documentary onto this CD. Some songs, mostly ambiance material from the non-concert portions, are missing, while some of the other songs are expanded or slightly different edits.

You should not listen to the soundtrack until you first see the movie. Unlike some soundtracks, this one really does not stand alone. It is a companion piece to the best Elvis Presley project ever made. Some choices that might sound odd at first on the soundtrack make much more sense in the context of EPiC as a film.

Listening to the soundtrack would also provide massive spoilers for EPiC as an experience. If you have not already, see it in a theater as soon as possible. No one has asked me to post these kinds of comments about the movie. I don’t get anything out of any of this, other than personal enjoyment. This is just me talking, one Elvis fan to another. EPiC is special, and you don’t want to miss seeing it.

You see? Even without song-by-song, I find myself drifting into a review of the movie.

Back to the soundtrack, there are a number of highlights that will live on in my main Elvis rotation for years if not decades to come. “Oh Happy Day” is breathtaking to hear. All we ever had was the rehearsal track of this, which left me wondering “what if?” This remix finally provides the answer.

“Wearin’ That Night Life Look” is a mashup of 1969’s “Wearin’ That Loved-On Look” and 1964’s “Night Life.” You don’t combine a highlight of the American Sound sessions with a movie tune! Oh, and then you’re going to throw in snippets of “Let Yourself Go” and “I, John”? It makes no sense. It can’t possibly work.

But it does! Somehow it does! What a wonderful “new” Elvis song “Wearin’ That Night Life Look” turns out to be. Along the same lines is the even more stellar “A Change Of Reality (Do You Miss Me?),” which I won’t even describe for you. See. The. Movie. I never thought an “invented” song like “A Change Of Reality” could be so incredible, but here we are. It’s probably my favorite new track.

The track “Bring The Curtain Down (EPiC Outro)” is brilliant as well. “Don’t Fly Away” is another mashup that I previously enjoyed on the 2022 ELVIS soundtrack, and it earns its encore here.

Plus there are tons of Elvis songs that we already know and love.

A minor quibble is that one of the interior artwork pieces (not pictured) frames Elvis in radiating, halo-style imagery that feels a little too saint-like for my taste. It pushes him toward deification rather than humanity. It doesn’t really fit with EPiC‘s mostly grounded portrait of Elvis. I find Elvis’ “King” image far less interesting than the real human being, which is one of the reasons I love EPiC and why that graphic doesn’t work for me.

That said, packaging is secondary to what matters most for Elvis releases, which is, as it always has been, the music. There’ll be plenty of time to analyze both the film and the soundtrack in the future.

Until then, enjoy this rare moment and see and feel Elvis like never before in EPiC.

The EPiC soundtrack is available on CD and digital now. The vinyl edition drops on April 24.