Chris Isaak: "Forever Blue"

Chris Isaak seems to have a reputation as a "mainstream crooner". I'm sure it was a result of his hit "Wicked Game". But anyone who listens to that song as something more than background music for a lover's tryst will tell you...there's a dark undercurrent throughout the song that's more in the spirit of David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" than "The Best of VH1 Superstars".

That darkness manifests as heartbreak on "Forever Blue". The opening track sets it all up: "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing". Apparently it must have truly been a "bad, bad thing" because the outcome saw Chris alone and lonely, often bitter, more often wallowing in the self-pity that everyone is entitled to when a relationship goes sour. She might have done a bad thing, but it becomes apparent that pride and a stubborn refusal to forgive her have plunged Mr. Issak into an abyss of despair and regret. Soon enough he'll be wishing "Baby" could overlook his tough-man exterior and crawl back to him.

Yes, it is a relentless "break-up" album and (I'm surprised to be saying this) it's on a paar with Red House Painter's "Rollercoaster", which is one of the greatest of all time. Isaak manages to capture the mood vocally every bit as effectively as Mark Kozelek in his better moments. But where Kozelek draws from no discernible influences in his singing, Chris Isaak is very obviously influenced by the likes of Roy Orbison & Elvis Presley. Still, though the inspirations are very evident, he nonetheless manages to pull off his own style.

There is, however, very little the music shares in common with RHP. That's more than okay. Isaak employs an extremely vibrato heavy sound on the guitars, with a slowed-down "jangle". It sounds like something you might here on a record from the late 50's/early 60's, but the modern fidelity kicks it up a notch. As I alluded to earlier, these songs would have fitted perfectly in one of David Lynch's earlier films...now that I think of it, Lynch did use "Wicked Game" in "Wild at Heart". That was a perfect pairing of atmosphere, and any of the songs on "Forever Blue" would have qualified. There were times, while listening to the album, when I thought it would not be too far fetched to wonder if Angelo Badalamenti had a hand in the composition of a couple of these songs.

Long story short...Chris Isaak is NOT mainstream, he IS criminally under-rated, he IS a song stylist worthy of attention, "Forever Blue" is an album worth owning, and finally...I wish I'd had HBO (Showtime?) when his show was on the air. I would have loved it.