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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great introduction to Isaak's music, but a second volume is needed, June 20, 2006
An intoxicating mix of Elvis Presley's early rockabilly and Roy Orbison's haunted crooning, Chris Isaak has maintained a sizable following over 21 years and nine albums despite having only one real pop hit, "Wicked Game." While all of his albums are inconsistent, they each contain plenty of highlights, making this 18-track Best Of long overdue.
Isaak wrote most of the songs on his albums except for the Baja Sessions project. Sometimes he's subtle ("Blue Spanish Sky," "Let Me Down Easy"), sometimes he rocks ("You Owe Me Some Kind Of Love," "Blue Hotel"). Occasionally, he builds from restrained to rowdy within the same recording ("Somebody's Crying," "Please") or breaks the musical mold completely, as with the sexy growler "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing." Almost always, though, he sings about heartbreak.
Along with the aforementioned Isaak classics, Best Of includes four previously unreleased tracks. The bluesy brooder "King With A Castle" and the boisterous relationship ender "Let's Have A Party" are nice additions to the Isaak catalog, and an acoustic version of "Forever Blue" is even lovelier than the original, but a live, noisy cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" fails to approach the standard of the other enclosed recordings.
While far from a staple on the pop charts, the versatile Isaak has occasionally charted on other radio formats, with "Don't Make Me Dream About You" hitting at Modern Rock and his cover of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" making an impact at Adult Contemporary. Both are unfortunately omitted here. Other notably absent singles - which failed to chart, but remain fan favorites - include the rousing Yardbirds' remake of "Heart Full Of Soul," the hard rocking "Go Walking Down There," the breezy "Think Of Tomorrow," and the eerie "Graduation Day."
Isaak made some high-profile soundtrack contributions that were also ignored here. They include the secret agent parody "Suspicion Of Love" from Married To The Mob, the wistful "I Wonder" from Tin Cup, and the ultra-catchy "American Boy" which served as the theme for Isaak's acclaimed Showtime series. The quality of these omissions is such Reprise/Rhino could easily compile another 18-track set from Isaak's catalog that would be just as good. And hopefully they will, in the not too distant future.
The Best of Chris Isaak is also available in a two-disc edition containing a DVD with 18 music videos, some of which don't appear on the music CD. Fans familiar with Isaak's quirky humor will surely love the commentary that he provides for each video.
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55 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Of?, May 9, 2006
Best of collections are so subjective. What is `best of' by my standards isn't what others might find an artists' best work. Obviously Isaak can't have a `greatest hits' collection - b/c it would unfortunately be a cd single.
`Best of Chris Isaak' isn't definitive, but it's a good start. Isaak is a talented vocalist and guitarist - yet somehow remains under the radar. I blame radio for their single-mindedness in programming practices. You'd think "Wicked Game" would have bought him some leeway - but it did not.
Most of his albums have a decent representation here, but again, it's not definitive. As many good songs that are on here, there are an equal number of great things left off. Again, though subjective, what would make it a `best of' for me are numerous - but some of the highlights would have been "Lie to Me", "Don't Make Me Dream About You", "Another Idea", "Wrong to Love You", "Heart Full of Soul" and "Talk to Me" (and that's just for starters).
You know - this probably could have been a double disk.
Since it's not my `best of' selections - I'll give him four stars. But for the consumer who hasn't owned any of his work, this would be the purchase for them.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to an oft-overlooked artist, May 15, 2006
I cannot sit here and tell you that this is truly a "best of" collection. You see, this it my first Chris Isaak purchase. I CAN tell you, however, that these are 18 incredible songs, sung by a man with a great voice and a knack for songwriting.
These tunes cover the spectrum of love and despair--mostly despair, which is ok, because Isaak's falsetto is suited to ringing out those notes of inner turmoil and agony. His retro rock/alternative country vibe sets him apart from contemporary pop/rock artists, while his songs ring with an honesty that is unavoidable. Even the two cover songs here ("Only the Lonely" and "I Want You To Want Me," if you couldn't figure it out) are reinvented by Isaak's touch, becoming his own (which is the only way to do a remake of a classic song, if you ask me). The heart and soul that went into these recordings makes them genuine, and that is all that can be asked of from an artist. Is BEST OF CHRIS ISAAK really the best of Chris Isaak? I can't tell you. What I can tell you is this: BEST OF CHRIS ISAAK is some of the best music I have heard lately. I'm now a fan; if you aren't already, them jump aboard the bandwagon, because this guy is going places--namely, wherever great music is written and performed.
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