Chris Isaak - Always Got Tonight

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Music reviews of Always Got Tonight

Music Review: The Death of Chris Isaak
Rating: 3 Stars

Erik Jacobsen's absence is far too conspicuous for Always Got Tonight to be considered a real, Chris Isaak project. Jacobsen, of Lovin' Spoonful and Norman Greenbaum (Spirit in the Sky) fame, produced every Isaak record from 1985's sparking debut to 1998's conflicted but occasionally riveting Speak of the Devil. To acquaint oneself with the accomplishments of Jacobsen's career is to unravel the mystery behind Isaak's anachronistic sound. The Encyclopedia of Record Producers avers that Jacobsen's production "moves like a fog of longing down a desolate strip of quarter moonlit beach and reverberates across a vast and uncaring sea." With Jacobsen's forlorn musical disposition and old-school rock 'n roll training compounded by Isaak's heart-rending croon, it is no wonder that aerial, contemporary interpretations of the 1960s surf sound like "Blue Hotel" and "Wicked Game" resonate with such poignancy and power. The Jacobsen-Isaak tandem had a mean streak, too, exhibiting its versatility with sizzling rockers such as "Go Walking Down There" and "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing".

Nonetheless, the Encyclopedia also foreshadows the rift that Always Got Tonight manifests, reporting that Isaak "seemed to be at a crossroads in 1998, but with Jacobsen still at his side." Isaak's largely uninspired Speak of the Devil paved the "crossroads" to which the Encyclopedia alludes. Rockers like "Please" were powerful but relatively artless, while rambling ballads like "Flying" and "Breaking Apart" faded into a lack of direction.

Always Got Tonight exposes an artist not only at a crossroads, but alienated by the profound departure of his longtime cohort. It is not that Isaak's latest is a bad album. The problem is that its unusually straightforward, pop-rock demeanor undermines most of what Isaak accomplished in the 80s and 90s. As is expected of any Isaak effort, though, some songs are fused with a familiar energy, beauty and emotion. The sonically massive "One Day" is a rocker of epic proportions, Richard Thompson's shadow invigorates the title track, and the Cure-meet-Tom Petty "Courthouse" is a tutorial in authentic pop-rock. Similarly, Isaak continues his endless homage to Roy Orbison with ballads such as "Life Will Go On" and "Worked it out Wrong." This time around, though, such nods to Isaak's well-established influences are hardly as stirring as the more aesthetic moments on Heart-Shaped World or Forever Blue, and past dirges such as "Blue Spanish Sky" transcend anything on Always Got Tonight by miles.

Plenty of artists alter their musical visions from one album to the next, and many do it tactfully and honestly -- Sheryl Crow, Neil Young and Emmylou Harris, for instance. After plucking the same one or two heartstrings for nearly two decades, Isaak's interest in that same kind of evolution is understandable. But unlike some of his contemporaries, the result is a remarkably unimaginative production that often consumes otherwise tender tunes such as "Let Me Down Easy," and sparer tracks that offer something to savor -- "Somebody to Love" and "Nothing to Say" -- are rare events. Many tracks are curt and unfulfilling ("Notice the Ring," "American Boy") or, if a bit longer, monotonous and impatient (title track, "One Day").

John Shanks's heavy-handed production serves up the same shuffling drums and hooks song after song, while Isaak's performance often retreats to the catchy chorus and the bottom line. Though Speak of the Devil's evident weariness of Isaak's heartbroken surfer boy sound yearned for a fresh start, his journey into newer musical terrain on Always Got Tonight is just as unrewarding. One wonders whether there is anywhere left for Chris Isaak to turn. Some noticeable adjustments are brought on by John Shanks -- the sound is bigger and the tunes are immediately catchy -- oftentimes, though, it all just seems like too much.

This is a good album whose potential for greatness is muffled by a stagnant, pensive approach. The result is a less distinctive and generic pop-rock album. As on most overambitious pop records, the songs guide the listener's experience too forcibly, offering the palate sporadic teasers and washing them down with gallons of slick noise. Erik Jacobsen's hand might have finished these songs with the magic of old. Instead, Isaak settles for a rather run-of-the-mill sound, a less literate and flat response to Lloyd Cole's The Negatives, perhaps. Ultimately, Always Got Tonight is unlikely to sound "Isaak" enough for most fans.

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