The 'Devil' And Chris Isaak.

Anticipation High For Crooner's Reprise Set

Billboard
Sept 5, 1998
By Carrie Bell

LOS ANGELES--Chris Isaak has made a career out of his velvet voice and the tortured love song. He isn't about to end his 15-year reign as king of lonely hearts with "Speak Of The Devil," hitting stores worldwide Sept. 22 on Reprise Records.

"I love to sing romantic ballads. It's what I'd do after work if it wasn't my full-time thing," Isaak says from the set of a video shoot at the Santa Monica (Calif.) Pier. "Actually, it is still what I'll do tonight when we're done filming. I love my job. Life is going swimmingly"

Label executives second that emotion.

"His albums always go gold or platinum, and there is no reason to suspect this one will perform any differently," says Gary Briggs, VP of artist development/creative marketing at Warner Bros./ Reprise. "It is a huge priority for our fourth quarter, so we'll pull out all the stops. Of course,Chris is his own best weapon. He's handsome, personable, intelligent, talented, and witty."

Isaak's video co-star, "Red Corner" actress Bai Ling, agrees. "He has a sensitivity in his eyes and has been singing all these beautiful songs to me. I can see why American women love him."

Ling says that for her, "Please -- the first single from "Devil" and the subject of the video-was a perfect introduction to the artist, with whom she was previously unfamiliar. Isaak, managed by Howard Kaufman and Sheryl Louis of HK Management, hopes others agree.

"It's got a lot of mystery, male perspective, and energy," he says. "[Thelabel hopes] the energy will carry it to a high position on the charts." "Our history with Chris goes back to 'Wicked Game.' Although this is more uptempo than his usual, he's delivering more of what people love him for," says Anita Garlock, music director at KINK Portland, Ore., which counts as one of the 20 of 21 triple-A stations monitored by Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) that are spinning "Please."

BDS indicates that three of its reporting top 40 stations have also jumped on "Please," despite the fact that Reprise isn't actively courting theformat yet.

"In the past, Chris established himself as a multi-format artist," says Reprise GM Rich Fitzgerald. "But we have to be careful when staging a crossover. His last song, 'Somebody's Crying,' could have been a bigger hit, but it was spread too thin. Rather than lock into dates, we want to go to each format after we've heated up the market."

"Please," which will get commercial release in Europe Sept. 7, is scheduled to have staggered releases throughout August and September at modern and hot AC, top 40, and alternative radio stations. The label is also contemplating an enhanced CD single for U.S. commercial release. All songs on "Devil" are published by C. Isaak Music Publishing Co. (ASCAP), except "Breaking Apart," which Isaak wrote with Diane Warren and published partially through her Realsongs (ASCAP).

CATALOG BOOST SEEN

Although the new album is not yet in stores, Fitzgerald feels the single is working its magic at U.S. retail.

"The spins are impacting the street," he says. "Every Isaak title experienced a sales spike last week. This is almost unheard of."

SoundScan confirms that all six of Isaak's previous long-players have seen increased sales, from 1985's "Silvertone" to 1996's "Baja Sessions." For example, "Heart-Shaped World," Isaak's best seller (1.8 million copies) and highest charter (having peaked at No. 7 on The Billboard 200), sold 1,700 copies from Aug. 3-9 and 2,000 the next week.

"Borders is pretty excited about a new album," says Andy Sibray, pop music buyer for the Borders chain, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., which will feature "Devil" in its Instant Bestseller program, putting it on sale at release. "His albums are steady sellers regardless of how old they are. He is the only big-name artist doing music in this vein, although he will probably get competition from artists he shares a demographic with who have new albums on the way, like Sheryl Crow or Bruce Hornsby."

Also planned for tastemakers is an advance CD in special packaging, as well as a limited-edition vinyl single postcard.

WORKING IT

Despite the anticipation, Isaak feels he has to work just as hard for success as be did when he was just starting out in San Francisco.

"I was lucky to have a hit like 'Wicked Game.' I haven't reached the star level where I can just ignore everyone," he says. "I wouldn't want to become that person anyway I owe my life to my fans."

His set list includes at least one song from every record. "Musicians who won't play old stuff or hits are inconsiderate," says the singer, who hangs out after every show to sign autographs and chat. "When I play my house, I'll sing whatever I want. When someone pays $30, I play the radio song that got them there.

Isaak, who is booked by Paul Goodman at Monterey Peninsula Artists, will head out in September for a European promotional tour with stops in London, Madrid, Hamburg, and other major cities. Then it's back to the U.S. for an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and a tour.

People who miss him live can catch him onscreen next year as a cop in the indie film "Shepherd."

"I love doing film," says Isaak. "It's a trip to Fantasyland, where you get to be someone you're not, like the guy who robs a bank or always gets the girl. Not like real life. It's not as pretty as you think. Reprise spends a lot on plastic surgery and Vaseline for the lens."

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