Search - Chris Isaak :: Heart Shaped World

A rare combination: musical talent & sexual magnetism

29-year old wallflower | West Lafayette, IN | 05/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Chris Isaak debuted with his first album SILVERTONE in 1985, he was definitely an anomaly. In the time when everyone was going electronic & a song wasn't complete without the synthesizer arrangements, Chris's backtrack approach to music was light years away. His influences were only as recent as the early 1960s & his voice was definitely inspired by Roy Orbison. Because it wasn't the flavor of the month, SILVERTONE had to settle for critical acclaim than commercial, jeopardizing the self-titled follow-up that came in 1986.However, Chris didn't give in to the times & released his 3rd album HEART SHAPED WORLD in 1989. Again, it seemed like another "under-the-radar" record that would be loved by critics & a small amount of fans without any mainstream exposure. Then the following year, David Lynch used the song "Wicked Game" in a pivotal scene in his 1990 film WILD AT HEART. While the film was not a box office success, Chris's record label decided to take a chance & release the song as a single. Excellent move, for it became a top 10 hit & gave both HEART SHAPED WORLD & Chris Isaak's career a much-needed shot in the arm. Of course, the classically erotic video for "Wicked Game" had a hand in it, too. This guy who couldn't even get a gold record was now a sex symbol!However, "Wicked Game" isn't the extent of HEART SHAPED WORLD, which even now is probably Chris's best album. True to his idol Roy Orbison, Chris mostly concentrates on moody ballads that go well with both a broken heart & a late-night love session. The title track, the Spanish-laced "Blue Spanish Sky" (does that horn solo spell seduction or what?), "Nothing's Changed", "I'm Not Waiting" & "Don't Make Me Dream About You" are the perfect songs to either cry in your beer to or woo your mate, whichever comes first.Still, Chris can rock out as good as anyone, it's just he prefers to do it only in moderation. HEART SHAPED WORLD has some of Chris's best uptempo tunes with "Wrong To Love You", "Kings Of The Highway", "Forever Young" & "In The Heat Of The Jungle" (the scariest 6 minutes you'll ever hear). Furthermore, the cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy" is surprisingly faithful, considering that as an idol to most rockers from the 1960s, he was more butchered than celebrated.It took a while, but Chris Isaak finally got the acclaim he had deserved ever since his 1985 debut. While it was thanks more to his sex appeal than his musical abilities, you have to take it where you can get it, I guess. But after the novelty died down, HEART SHAPED WORLD was still a great piece of music & a good introduction to an artist who deserved a breakthrough all along. Even better, it proved a sex symbol can have much more going for them than their looks."

This World is Only Gonna Break Your Heart

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 10/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hard to believe an album this good almost slipped through the cracks. But Isaak's third album had begun sliding off the charts after not really making a considerable splash when David Lynch chose "Wicked Game" as the backdrop for a key scene in his movie "Wild At Heart." Public demand for the haunting, retro heartbreak of "Wicked Game" began to force reluctant radio programmers to get hip to what Isaak's rabid fan base already knew; this guy was unlike anything else on the radio and was making absolutely great music.



"Heart Shaped World" is Isaak's most relentless, intense album. Like on his second album, Isaak walked a flawless tightwire act between densely melancholic songs and shimmering instrumental waves of reverb. There's a reason Isaak's songs are so attractive to movie directors, he has a cinematic flair that is irresistible. "Kings of the Highway" and "Blue Spanish Sky" flaunt their western flavor so perfectly that you can imagine yourself driving after dark in the desert with your top down, wondering where love went wrong. The title track and "Wicked Game" seem almost effortless in their ability to voice heartbreak. On this album it became absolutely indisputable -- nobody does modern high lonesome better than Chris Isaak.



For variety, there is also the uptempo "Don't Make Me Dream About You," where Isaak makes some of those Elvis Presely comparisons ring true. It also sports a great horn riff. That was something else that helped make "Heart Shaped World" a standout. In a period when computerized keyboards were dominating the airwaves, Isaak championed organic sounds in the creation of his rock and roll. There is a terrific trumpet solo and real strings in "Blue Spanish Sky" (you gotta dig that "Summer of 42" quote at the song's end), and a natural flow to the giddy CD closer, "Diddley Daddy," a staple of his concerts.



While I hesitate to recommend any Chris Isaak album over and above others in his consistent and impressive body of work, "Heart Shaped World" was where he and Silvertone made it all pull together."