I can't think of many one-hit wonders who have careers with the length and breadth of Chris Isaak. If you were alive in the late '80s, the song (and video!) "Wicked Game" is probably what comes to mind when you hear Isaak's name. That song was on his third album, though (a testament to Warner Brothers' commitment to building artist careers), and he's released 9 or so since then, in addition to appearing as an actor in many films and TV shows. He's also been tight with David Lynch for decades, so you know he's cool. (Hmmm, maybe he'll show up in this upcoming new season of Twin Peaks?)
As you can see below, Isaak was not widely known at the time of the release of his second album, Chris Isaak. Not everybody at KCMU loved it, but at least none of the songs was marked with the cursed white dot of mainstreamness, as I'm sure "Wicked Game" was.
"This is a very strong effort. '50s based guitar rock that doesn't sound retro. Why he doesn't get the publicity of other 'rootsy' bands I don't know. [Oh, just you wait...] This guy deserves to get the same accolades. Try 1.2 or anything on side 2.""Pick and choose very carefully on this one."
"Why?"
"Because some of this is schmaltzy, slick and boring. That's why."
"Use as barf bag... He's as rootsy as formica."
"Oh, but he's so cute . . ." [Not sure if this is the same person who drew a black-marker kiss on Isaak's cheek, but this comment was written in black marker... ]
In the Nursery must be one of the longest running and most prolific projects I've covered in this series, having released albums almost annually since 1983 (they've slowed down a bit in recent years, with only six full-length releases since 2005).
