In the American Idol generation, there's an entire class of singers who think crooning means hammering every note out of a song and singing at the top of their lungs. Which is fine and dandy for some, but give me San Francisco's classy troubadour Chris Isaak, who harks back to an older tradition of singing. He's a firm follower in the footsteps of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, with immaculate skill, style and a never-ending series of gorgeous, heartbroken laments. But he gives that old Sun Studios sound a distinctly modern spin.

Isaak's first-ever career retrospective, The Best Of Chris Isaak, has just been released, gathering together 18 of his finest tunes from his nine albums. It's a long-overdue look back at one of rock's most consistent talents, one who is best known for his classic 1990s' ode to the broken-hearted, "Wicked Game." And make no mistake, "Wicked Game" is one of the greatest lonely songs you'll ever hear, but it's not all Isaak has to offer.

Best of Chris Isaak is a well-chosen group of hits and should've-been-hits, such as "San Francisco Days," "Forever Blue," "Please," "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love" and more. Isaak's got a knack for singing sad songs that send chills down your back, with his versatile voice capable of soaring highs and burly lows. Done right, lovelorn ballads never get old, and while everyone knows "Wicked Game," Isaak's crafted other tunes just as perfect, like "Somebody's Crying," which ambles along on a simple guitar lick, launching into overdrive with a cathartic, falsetto chorus. It's emotion that never feels faked, unlike too many singers in the Idol tradition.

Yet casual fans might not be aware that Isaak doesn't just croon, he can rock as well. The sexy, throbbing "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" was a perfect fit when it was included in the trailer for Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. It simmers, boils over and explodes with tension.

The hit set is nicely balanced between the ballads and more up-tempo numbers. Isaak also pays tribute to his idols, with a faithful cover of Orbison's "Only The Lonely" and, in one of four new songs here, a full-out rock take on Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" done with his unmistakable yearning voice.

The CD is available by itself or in a bonus special edition that includes an hourlong DVD of Isaak's greatest videos. It's this package any Isaak fan will covet. That Herb Ritts-directed the "Wicked Game" video is, of course, one of the all-time sexiest of the MTV era, with Isaak and doe-eyed supermodel Helena Christensen cavorting half-naked on a deserted beach. That sets the tone for a lot of Isaak's videos, which tend to feature an awful lot of underdressed women. But they're done with style and a good-natured sexiness, and rarely feel exploitive. They're fine accompaniment to Isaak's tunes.

Even better, Isaak contributes an affable, frequently hilarious commentary over each of the 18 videos included (several of them are for songs not also on the CD, which makes it a real bonus for completists). "I should have my own fragrance," Isaak jokes at one point as gauzy romantic images slide past. Eau de Isaak? Well, the man's cornered the market on being the modern Roy Orbison. Why not branch out?