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.
Article comments
1 - Illusionaire
Just got my copy of the DVD yesterday, and even without listening to the DVD commentary, I am in love. I won't be bothering with the remastered CD since my audio system isn't nice enough to notice the difference between it and all the albums I already own, but I will pick up the "I Want You To Want Me" track from iTunes. The only thing I am lamenting about the career retrospective is that it doesn't have enough live recordings on it. I'm talking about the concerts where he tells rollicking crazy fun stories that aren't always PG-rated. If I could get an album of those recordings at much better quality than my random assortment of bootlegs, then get the all seasons of The Chris Isaak show on DVD, I could die a happy woman.
2 - Eric Olsen
thanks Nik, I'm a huge fan and agree about Isaak's subtlety - I think he's still way underrated. I wrote about Isaak and his former guitarist James Calvin Wilsey here
3 - NR Davis
Definitely an underrated artist. God, I love Chris Isaak.
4 - Ron
Not enough from Baja Sessions. If you don't have any Isaak, just buy Baja Sessions, not the Greatest Hits.
5 - Connie Phillips
This article has been placed at the Advance.net websites, a site affiliated with about 12 newspapers.
One such site is here.
6 - -E
Congrats, this article was picked for one of this week's Ed Picks. Keep up the good work.