REVIEW: Chris Isaak, Forever Blue (Sire)

- Reto Koradi

Nobody would probably expect a big surprise from a new Chris Isaak album. It's not even easy to admit that you like him if you claim to have good taste. His look on the album cover doesn't suggest a change either, he sort of looks like James Dean, before the car crash.

The music comes as a pleasant surprise, though. The album starts out with "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing", which sounds like a very old blues tune by John Lee Hooker, the bass line reminding one a lot of "On The Road Again" by Canned Heat. This is followed by the first single, "Sombebody's Crying", which is indicative of the general sound of the album. While the verses follow his characteristic melodic style, the chorus is faster and more powerful than usual, driven by the drums. This is even more pronounced on "Go Walking Down There", the highlight track of the album, where his voice gets much harder than usual, he cries out like a real rocker, and he's damn good at it.

There are still plenty of slow, romantic ballads in good old Isaak tradition. Hardly a potential smash hit like "Blue Hotel" or "Wicked Game", but "There She Goes" might well be the next single. Some of the songs are recorded in low-fi sound quality, probably intentionally.

Isaak started work on the album after breaking up with his girlfriend, and all the lyrics revolve around this topic. The fact that he writes about his own life might partly explain why his music works. Even though it's certainly far from being new and also addresses listeners without exclusive taste, it never gives the impression like it would originate in the marketing department of a record company. It's simple, but true and honest. And his great voice is perfectly suited for his musical style.

While Isaak never failed to write good tunes in the past, his last album "San Francisco Days" often made you think that your CD player got stuck in endless repeat mode. Forever Blue is a clear step forward, it's much more variable, and might well be his best album so far.