Baja Sessions

Chris Isaak

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 8, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002N9X
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,007 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Chris Isaak's Baja Sessions was inspired by a surfing trip the singer took with his band to the Baja California section of Mexico. As the salt in their hair dried in the sun, the four musicians sat around with acoustic guitars and a small drum set, and played some tunes from Isaak's previous albums, some of his unrecorded originals, and some of his favorite old songs by the likes of Roy Orbison, Gene Autry, and Arthur Lyman. The quartet so enjoyed the laid-back, mostly acoustic, Spanish-tinged flavor of these vacation jams that when they got home to the Bay Area, they recreated them in the studio. Baja Sessions is like an Unplugged album, except the sun-drenched, south-of-the-border mood gives these remakes a far fresher twist than most such projects. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a voice!, January 15, 2004

By	Bruce Hodges (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Chris Isaak has one of the most beautiful voices in pop music. Here's a crooner who can really deliver, with a versatile instrument that can rise to powerful heights one minute, or sound as hushed as Chet Baker the next. He's also surrounded by just the right musicians and production values.

Highlights are "Yellow Bird" and a plaintive version of Orbison's "Only the Lonely," although I also like the more uptempo hit, "Dancin'" and oh all right -- pretty much everything else. Throughout, Isaak's voice is a joy, and if you are in the mood for his gentle tropics-influenced sound, you won't be disappointed.

The recorded sound is excellent -- with a slight reverb here and there -- and only adds to the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. This is an ideal CD for a relaxing summer day, with or without a margarita.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baja Sessions ( The Best ), June 13, 2000

By	Dave Stout (Poolesville, MD. USA) - See all my reviews

I have collected all of Chris Isaak's CD's. In my opinion, by far, Baja Sessions is the best. Every song is a winner. " Pretty Girls Don't Cry " is my favorite on this disk and it is better than the original. The fact that he does all these 'cover' tunes is great. Roy Orbison's " Only The Lonely ", Dean Martin's " Return To Me " are just a few. I cannot recommend this CD enough. There is not one clunker song on the list. Chris Isaak has taken the ' Rockabilly ' edge and shaved it off and turned it into a lovely, pleasing sound that is his own distinctive style. I love Rockabilly music but if you want a new, fresh style of singing, Chris Isaak is it and Baja Sessions is one of the best albums ( CD's ) I have ever bought.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting pencil rewrite of the Isaak catalog, June 1, 2001

By	hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Clocking in at only 39 minutes, and recorded in "Baja" San Francisco, this is more a placeholder than a true followup to last year's Forever Blue. Included among the thirteen tracks are reworkings of cuts from Isaak's 1985 LP Silvertone, including "Pretty Girls Don't Cry" "Back On Your Side" and "Dancin'", a cover of 1989's "Wrong to Love You," and a new version of 1993's "Two Hearts." Also included is a rendering of Roy Orbison's signature tune, "Only the Lonely," featuring what seems to be the C&H Sugar jingle used as a guitar riff. Rounding out the covers are the chestnuts "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" "Yellow Bird" and "Sweet Leilani." In total, Isaak adds only four new titles to this LP.

What's Isaak's motivation for covering Isaak? Apparently a desire to apply his signature sound to compositions recorded before his penmanship was so refined. The double tracked vocals of earlier versions have been replaced by the fuller, more confessional stylings of Chris Isaak circa 1996. The production is stripped of mid-80s gloss and given Isaak's now characteristic sound: sparse arrangements with a bass-heavy balance and crystalline guitars that compliment Isaak's languorous vocals. Given the explosive popularity of 1989's Heart Shaped World, the reworked songs provide a fan-friendly introduction to some of Isaak's earlier material.

More of an Isaak-snack than a full meal. But it's a tasty snack.