Chris Isaak
Forever Blue (Reprise)
by Marc Hirsh
Chris Isaak
Forever Blue (Reprise)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Public News, July 19, 1995
Simple and direct, Forever Blue is pretty much like Chris Isaak's other albums. The new songs aren't as sunny as on his terrific last outing, San Francisco Days. That album was no funfest, and Forever Blue is pretty dark as a result.
The music is Isaak's usual mixture of country, blues, rock and pop, none of which sound like they've made it past 1962. It's alright, though, because Isaak's gift isn't innovation, it's recapitulation. It's the ability to put into words and music all of the simple things that seem obvious once they've been vocalized but eluded us beforehand. "I don't want nobody, I was happy with you," he admits in "There She Goes," and it probably hurt to make such a statement in no uncertain terms.
Too much has been made of Isaak's resemblance to Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. He's actually the heir to Hank Williams, who found that the best way to say something was to get to its core and say nothing that didn't need to be said. Not a word is wasted on the entire album.