Chris Isaak's debut album, Silvertone, named after his three-piece backup group, sets the pattern for his subsequent albums in its meticulously constructed retro sound.
Isaak enters a time machine and emerges around 1960, when Roy Orbison is ruling the charts with his melodramatic ballads and Elvis Presley has just returned from the Army.
Of course, what passed for a style 25 years before is in Isaak's hands stylization, and when he wails in an Orbison falsetto of romantic desperation, then does a flat, Presley-like recitation in the album-closing "Western Stars," it all seems over the top.
But he is just about sincere enough to pull it off, and James Calvin Wilsey is a strong enough guitarist to keep the arrangements on track.
So, to the extent that you can resist the "Is this guy kidding?" impression, the music is appealing.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Livin' for Your LoverChris Isaak | Chris Isaak | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | Back on Your SideChris Isaak | Chris Isaak | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 6 mins | 14 MB | |||||
| 6 mins | 39 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Carlson | Engineer |
| 2 | Pat Craig | Engineer |
| 3 | Pee Wee Ellis | Saxophone |
| 4 | Lee Herschberg | Engineer |
| 5 | Chris Isaak | Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 6 | Erik Jacobsen | Producer |
| 7 | Jim Keltner | Drums |
| 8 | Ric Lopez | Photography |
| 9 | Rick Lopez | Photography |
| 10 | Marek Majewski | Photography |
| 11 | Tom Mallon | Engineer |
| 12 | Mark Needham | Engineer |
| 13 | Prairie Prince | Drums |
| 14 | Chris Solberg | Bass, Guitar (Bass) |
| 15 | James Calvin Wilsey | Guitar, Guitar (Steel), Lap Steel Guitar |
| 16 | Mike Zagaris | Photography |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |