I would rate "Imperial Hotel" among Stevie's greatest songs and consider it easily the best song on the RAL album. It has the Heartbreakers written all over it (don't forget that it's dedicated to Benmont Tench) and her gutsy lead vocal has the spontaneous feel of a live take to it.
The great thing about Stevie in the studio is that she never cared that much for technical perfection but was more concerned with the vibe of a performance. You can imagine her dancing around as she did during "Angel" in the Tusk documentary video - as if she were on stage. It is difficult to capture the energy and intensity of a live performance but I think she pretty much nailed it with "Imperial Hotel".
I actually think "Imperial Hotel" was an excellent choice for a single and in another time or place, it may have charted well but who cares anyway.
Thanks Johnny Stew for the insight regarding the connection between the film 'Julia' and that trilogy of Stevie songs. "Rock A Little (Go Ahead Lily)" is my other favourite from the RAL album so it's interesting to learn of the inspiration behind this and the others.
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