Customer Reviews

Speak of the Devil

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Isaak has a way with everything he does.... the simple bitter melody about broken hearts and lost love... low key rock 'n' roll songs... and voice that's surely has thousands of female fans swooning!

And this record is his best yet... "Please" is a frantic song with the "light and shade" musical treatment that sounds better every time you listen to it. Flying is another amazing song which has this really cool intro.

And the rest of the record never lets up.... Walk Slow, Speak of the Devil, Breaking Apart..... they are all great songs that maintain the quality and the integrity of this CD right till the last notes of Super Magic 2000.

Full marks to Chris and his band for creating a bit of magic on this great record.

If the Devil could sing, he'd want to sound like Chris Isaak. What an instrument! Another terrific album from (and for) the eternally heartbroken. while not quite u to his masterpiece, "Forever Blue," "Devil" has some finely wrought, top-notch songs. The opener, "Please," rocks with anxiety and desire and a quiet desperation... I'm digging his double-tracked vocals on "Walk Slow"; the deliciously creepy "Black Flowers" is one of his best songs ever, dark and unsettling and with a strange backward mix; the beautiful "Don't Get So Down on Yourself".... but my favorite song is the gorgeous, aching, dreamy "Breaking Apart" (who's the woman singing back-up? Ouch) It chills me to hear, "I don't want to sleep without you/ Dreams don't mean a thing without you...." He gets the best mileage out of failed romance, and I for one will buy anything he does. Unfortunately, Chris Isaak's broken heart is music to our ears.

You could tell that there was something cooking in the Chris Isaak camp when you took a look at the production credits for "Speak Of The Devil." Although longtime associate Erik Jacobsen is still the knob twiddler for the majority of the CD, Isaak also self or co-produced seven of the 14 songs here. There's also the presence of Rob Cavallo, who, as the man behind the boards for Green Day, gave the world "Dookie." Even weirder, Cavallo produced the BALLAD!

So the more things change, the more "Speak Of The Devil" sounds the same. Minor key misery is still the mainstay, spiced with a few blasts from the reverb heavy retro rock Isaak frequently favors. There's even an Elvis come-on with "Please," a one sided plea for Isaak's love to explain things in a crumbling relationship. But is there an answer? Not on your heart shaped world, baby. Almost as flawless is "Breaking Apart," co-produced by Cavallo and co-written with hit maestro Diane Warren. Although it treads dangerously close to formula, it was the album's obvious shot at a hit. That is, before "Eyes Wide Shut" broke "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" from the almost 4 year old "Forever Blue." Fate is a funny thing....

Even if "Speak Of The Devil" got sideswiped by the older song, you should still seek this set out. You can hear Isaak try to push his envelope, be it the near grungey guitars on "Please," the more prominent synths on "I'm Not Sleepy" or the fact that he can make a worn phrase like "Don't Get So Down On Yourself" sound like heartbreak mantra. He even drops the loser in love persona to sing praises of settling down in "Talking Bout a Home." Then, to top it all off, there is the terrific space-spy-surf instra-mental millennium harbinger of "Super Magic 2000" to warp the album to a close. "Speak Of The Devil" flirts with the danger of breaking the mold, and Isaak makes it work.

Chris Isaak's album "Speak of The Devil" does not disappoint. I personally feel this is the best album of his career. Having listened to his other releases - "San Francisco Days", "Forever Blue", "Baja Sessions", "Heart Shaped World", and his latest "Always Got Tonight" - this album captures all the best of his song writing and crooning vocals.

The album makes smooth transitions from such love sick melodies as "Walk Slow" and "Breaking Apart" to his more upbeat tunes "Speak of The Devil", "Like the Way She Moves" and "I'm Not Sleepy". The Silvertones put in a great supporting performance, and are allowed more musical creativity, which adds to the overall warm feel of the songs.

If you're a first time listener, or looking to add to your collection, this album is a great place to start.

After Baja Sessions, I thought that there would be little left to say for Chris Isaak, and boy was I pleased to be wrong. Speak of the Devil is marvelous!!! In this album, Isaak has moved from the haunting songs of Forever Blue and the sweet island sounds of Baja Sessions to a combination of flare, passion, and tranquilty in his music.

I find that when I listen to "Wanderin'" or "Like the Way She Moves", I'm dancing in my chair. But quickly, I come back down to the sadness of "Breaking Apart" and "Don't Get So Down on Yourself". The album can be described as emotionally packed. Packed to the brim.

As a woman, when I hear Chris Isaak sing, I am both disturbed by the anger with which he describes broken trusts, and moved by the sweet way that he can seduce and charm with the lilting of his voice. Either way, with whatever perception, I am affected deeply. Speak of the Devil is no exception. It's the rule.

"I believed you when you said you would be mine." "Please, your killing me." "Are you on my mind, everyday, all the time?" "I cry in my sleep at night. I'm breaking apart, without you."

Where do I get a Chris Isaak of my own? Oh well. I guess that I will have to just settle for the CD.

If you've never purchased a Chris Isaak CD and want to give him a try - buy this CD. It is his best work! If you've read other reviews, you know he's somewhat of a cross between Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. To me, he's kind of got an edginess found in today's rock-a-billy underground bands. He clearly has a sweet, powerful, original voice and sound... especially in today's world. This CD in particular show cases all ends of his sound, in my opinion. He's very contemporary with "Walk Slow", rocks a bit with "Please", shows his love for rock-a-billy with "I'm Not Sleepy" (great tune by the way), and his humor with "Like the Way She Moves" (the opening line alone, "I met a girl half out her mind, that's ok, 'cause I'm half out of mine", always makes me smile). With this CD, you get a clear picture of what you can find spread out over his other discs. If you own and really like San Fransisco Days or Always Got Tonight, then I think you'll love this disc. Its my favorite of his. He's soooo underated as a musician and a talent. You gotta give him and this disc a try.

Speak Of The Devil is easily the hardest rocking album in the Chris Isaak catalog. Though the album has the dark overtone of his previous works, he opens things up and is not quite as brooding. That's not to say he's found true love and is completely happy as songs like "Lonely Nights", "Please" and "Black Flowers" will attest to, but he's loosened up a bit. The title track is a great song as "Wanderin'". "Super Magic 2000" is an eerie instrumental that sounds like a lost theme song to a 60's sci-fi show like The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone. Speak Of The Devil isn't the best he's ever done, but still is high quality music.

I'm a longtime Chris Issak fan, and the recent CD is completely amazing. From the first track to the last, it's a hit. There are no "skip ahead" songs at all. His voice could melt butter and his musical ability is fabulous. He's one of the most underrated artist around. Totally worth the money.

I saw Chris in concert for the first time this past summer here in Oregon. What a pleasant surprise! He rocked the house. Since then I have purchase nearly everything he has done. Speak of the Devil has replaced Baja Sessions as my favorite. Chris cranks it up and let's it go on this CD. "Wandering" is my personal favorite, a blend of great guitar riffs and his unmatched voice. There simnply is not one bad song on the entire CD. A great buy!

This is "Singing-in-your-car-don't-care-who-see's -you" music. I own all of Chris Isaak CD's, so you could say I'm rather partial, but he never ceases to amaze me with his incredible talent. He sings to my soul. I especially enjoyed the title track "Speak of the Devil" as well as "Flying". Just listen to this CD once and you will be hooked forerer!