Audio CD review:
Chris Isaak - Speak Of The Devil

Chris Isaak - Speak Of The Devil

Band: Chris Isaak Title: Speak Of The Devil Rating: Release Date: 1999-08-09 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Please 2: Flying 3: Walk Slow 4: Breaking Apart 5: This Time 6: Speak of the Devil 7: Like the Way She Moves 8: Wanderin 9: Don't Get So Down on Your 10: Black Flowers 11: I'm Not Sleepy 12: 7 Lonely Nights 13: Talkin Bout a Home 14: Super Magic 2000 15: Baby Did a Bad Bad [Radio Edit]

The record company did an add add thing..... " 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. 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. 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. " So somewhere, a smart exec added the radio remix (substantially different from the album version) of that song to this version of "Speak Of The Devil. " 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. . The all time best Chris Isaak album ever! Not so! It is my favorite of all of them. As a true Chris Isaak fan from way back to 1989, I was concerned that I would be disappointed with this album because of it's reported harder edge. He pushed himself just far enough while maintaining all of the elements that made me love his music. He still has his wistful, dreamy ballads but cranks it up from rock-a-billy to more rock this time. The title track "Speak of the Devil" really does have a harder edge but with vintage Isaak lyrics like "watchin' you walking is like watching a flame" brings all the album's elements together to create an updated style. I liked the fact that he wound up the album with the Surfer-style "Super Magic 2000" making the closer unique and personal (since all true Chirs Isaak fans know he's an avid surfer. I liked "Speak of the Devil" so much that I bought two copies: one for my car and one for the house. Now I can listen to it whenever I want without having to hunt it down. You can see a complete list of all Chris Isaak discography, or go back to the Chris Isaak tabs