— When Chris Isaak released his debut album Silvertone in 1985, he took many listeners by surprise. His seamless combination of cool rockabilly grooves that chugged along effortlessly as he vocally channeled Roy Orbison attracted a considerable amount of attention. He continued to release a steady string of consistently well-crafted discs like 1986's Chris Isaak, Heart Shaped World from 1989 and 1991's Wicked Game that spawned his signature hit with its dreamy title track.
He's since dabbled in acting, appearing in various movies as well as The Chris Isaak Hour that's been on the air since 2009. But now Isaak has reached that interminable point in his career that finds him revisiting the influences that originally shaped his somewhat derivative musical persona. Luckily, these influential voices all happened to be under contract at Sam Phillips' legendary Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn. Isaak's latest, the cleverly titled Beyond the Sun (Vanguard), finds him plundering the songbooks of such pioneering rock and rollers as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.
Thankfully, Isaak's vocal agility has not deserted him and he sounds more than convincing as he brings several Elvis hits to life, the best of which include "She's Not You," "Love Me" and "It's Now or Never" that his lovelorn vocals color with more than a hint of heartbreak.
Isaak's take on Jerry Lee Lewis' signature tune "Great Balls of Fire" lacks the gritty, wild-eyed delivery of the original, as the Killer's original spirit struggles to break through the track's rather antiseptic arrangement. Isaak does manage to win back some points for his slightly more rough-hewed versions of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and "I Walk the Line." He also fares better on the more obscure tracks originally done by Carl Perkins, especially "Your True Love" that finds Chris more comfortably inhabiting the melodies.
He also sounds impressive on "Lovely Loretta" and "Live It Up," that, despite being Isaak originals, sound like they're cut from the same cloth as the rest of the vintage material here. But his most satisfying moment is when he tips his hat to the singer to which he has been most compared. His version of Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" may not be as tough as the original, but Isaak's uncanny ability to emulate the Roy's vocal style is as eerie as it is moving. By the time the sweet sign off "That Lucky Old Sun," the album's closing track, it's clear that Chris Isaak is no hack when it comes to covering these Sun Records essentials. Instead, the whole project winds up being a testament to Isaak's impeccable musical taste. That alone makes this comfortable collection less of a novelty and more of a heartfelt, musical love letter to the music that, no matter how long ago it was recorded, still shines brightly for Chris Isaak.
Contact Jesse De Leon, program director and morning show personality for Oldies 93.9, at 289-0111 or jessedeleon@clearchannel.com
© 2011 Corpus Christi Caller Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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