Chris Isaak: Heart Shaped World

Chris Isaak is a true rockabilly crooner. With a smooth and sometimes golden age voice, he brought a new feel to popular music during the 80s and 90s. Much in the same way Dwight Yoakam brought a similar style to country.

Heart Shaped World was the record that brought Isaak the attention he deserved. Nearly a year after the album’s release, the song Wicked Game achieved top ten status after it was featured in the movie Wild at Heart, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. While the album did not receive critical acclaim upon its release, as is the case for many records, it received greater appreciation as Isaak’s commercial success grew and more people were exposed to his work.

Isaak’s albums are not readily available. Most of his vinyl was originally released in Europe. He came up in the age of the CD, so vinyl was not the priority for record companies, nor were they in demand like they are today.

However, as demand for vinyl increases labels are releasing some of the best albums from the CD era. The Record Store Day exclusive release of Heart Shaped World was pressed on white vinyl. For an RSD release, the sound quality and range is really pretty good. There are moments where the record pops and cracks, but overall it presents the music very well. It is not an audiophile level pressing, but certainly better than most reissues.

TRACK LIST
1 Heart Shaped World
2 I'm Not Waiting
3 Don't Make Me Dream About You
4 Kings of the Highway
5 Wicked Game
6 Blue Spanish Sky
7 Wrong to Love You
8 Forever Young
9 Nothing's Changed
10 In the Heat of the Jungle
11 Diddley Daddy

If you’re a Chris Isaak fan or a fan of 80s and 90s popular music, you may find this release a very pleasant surprise and worth the $30 sticker price. 💵

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