Chris Isaak's Art-Shaped World

San Jose Mercury News
April 9, 1993
By David Plotnikoff

CHRIS ISAAK
"San Francisco Days"
(Reprise; CD and cassette)

The fourth album by this Bay Area club-rocker-turned-matinee idol is neither a quantum leap forward nor a stylistic misstep. It's a cannily restrained, calculated effort to bring secondary influences to the fore.

''San Francisco Days" bristles with romantic anguish. The historic touchstones -- Orbison, the Sun Studios gang, et. al. -- that were the foundation of the Isaak sound are still much in evidence. But there's a rich stream of other influences: classic country balladry, pure pre-rock Tin Pan Alley pop and '50s cocktail jazz, to name a few.

The album, due in stores Tuesday, is consistently engaging. Yet there are no selections that immediately scream Big Radio Hit. Isaak, 36, and his longtime producer, Erik Jacobsen, find themselves in the same position they've been stuck in for the past eight years: that gray area between country, oldies and modern rock.

''Beautiful Homes," my fave track, shows a melodic sophistication previously unheard in Isaak's work. The cover of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" is a gutsy -- and successful -- piece of alchemy that turns pure pop into country. But none of the tracks seem likely candidates to be the next "Wicked Game."

Musically, there are some wonderful additions to the trademark Isaak sound: pedal-steel guitar, a vocal chorus and a Hammond B3 organ by Jimmy Pugh.

Considering it took "Heart Shaped World" two years to hit with a mass audience, it's tough to say whether "San Francisco Days" is going to be a commercial winner. One senses that Isaak (who just signed another four-record deal with Warner Bros./Reprise) is one cool cat who doesn't particularly care.

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