Heart Shaped World was the album that made Chris Isaak a star, thanks to a song being included in David Lynch film. Mr. Isaak had released two critically acclaimed albums that sold poorly. Upon it's release in 1989, Heart Shaped World seemed destined to the same fate. But David Lynch used the dark and brooding song "Wicked Game" in his 1990 film Wild At Heart. The movie was heavily promoted and radio stations started playing the song. It really broke loose for the photogenic Mr. Isaak when MTV started playing the sexy black & white video for the song in late 1990 and over a year after the album's release, he finally had a much deserved top song and album. "Wicked Game" is a classic, but the album is full of equally great songs. The title track has a stinging guitar riff and an eerie reverb-filled vocal, "Blue Spanish Sky" has a slow, languid rhythm punctuated by a Latin jazz horn fill at the end, "In The Heart Of The Jungle" is a lengthy number with screeching feedback and fuzz guitars and a wild vocal, "Diddly Daddy" is a rockabilly rave up and "Wrong To Love You" may be the best song on the album and has a perfect vocal from Mr. Isaak. Heart Shaped World has so far turned out to be his only top ten album, but its success has helped keep an unique talent from sinking into obscurity and have a moderate degree of success despite making music that is far from the mainstream.

About the other Chris Isaak CD's, I have written that one CD is nearly indistinquishable from the next. They all have some brooding numbers, some rockabilly numbers, some country influenced numbers and some rockers. I also wrote that the self-titled CD "Chris Isaak" may be the best one and that "Speak of the Devil" was the most musically complex CD. Then I relistened to "Heart Shaped World", after not playing it for a year.

"Heart Shaped World" still sounds like a typical Isaak CD, but it stands out from the rest. It is the richest, most musically complex CD. Each song tends to grab you and stay with you. This is opposed to the other CD's where most of the songs are good but forgettable. Plus it has three monster tracks (including Wicked Game) while the other CD's only have one or two.

When Chris Isaak debuted with his first album SILVERTONE in 1985, he was definitely an anomaly. In the time when everyone was going electronic & a song wasn't complete without the synthesizer arrangements, Chris's backtrack approach to music was light years away. His influences were only as recent as the early 1960s & his voice was definitely inspired by Roy Orbison. Because it wasn't the flavor of the month, SILVERTONE had to settle for critical acclaim than commercial, jeopardizing the self-titled follow-up that came in 1986.

However, Chris didn't give in to the times & released his 3rd album HEART SHAPED WORLD in 1989. Again, it seemed like another "under-the-radar" record that would be loved by critics & a small amount of fans without any mainstream exposure. Then the following year, David Lynch used the song "Wicked Game" in a pivotal scene in his 1990 film WILD AT HEART. While the film was not a box office success, Chris's record label decided to take a chance & release the song as a single. Excellent move, for it became a top 10 hit & gave both HEART SHAPED WORLD & Chris Isaak's career a much-needed shot in the arm. Of course, the classically erotic video for "Wicked Game" had a hand in it, too. This guy who couldn't even get a gold record was now a sex symbol!

However, "Wicked Game" isn't the extent of HEART SHAPED WORLD, which even now is probably Chris's best album. True to his idol Roy Orbison, Chris mostly concentrates on moody ballads that go well with both a broken heart & a late-night love session. The title track, the Spanish-laced "Blue Spanish Sky" (does that horn solo spell seduction or what?), "Nothing's Changed", "I'm Not Waiting" & "Don't Make Me Dream About You" are the perfect songs to either cry in your beer to or woo your mate, whichever comes first.

Still, Chris can rock out as good as anyone, it's just he prefers to do it only in moderation. HEART SHAPED WORLD has some of Chris's best uptempo tunes with "Wrong To Love You", "Kings Of The Highway", "Forever Young" & "In The Heat Of The Jungle" (the scariest 6 minutes you'll ever hear). Furthermore, the cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy" is surprisingly faithful, considering that as an idol to most rockers from the 1960s, he was more butchered than celebrated.

It took a while, but Chris Isaak finally got the acclaim he had deserved ever since his 1985 debut. While it was thanks more to his sex appeal than his musical abilities, you have to take it where you can get it, I guess. But after the novelty died down, HEART SHAPED WORLD was still a great piece of music & a good introduction to an artist who deserved a breakthrough all along. Even better, it proved a sex symbol can have much more going for them than their looks.

I first came across this album in the late 80s.

It was the guitar that caught my attention when I first heard it in a record shop, and it was the voice that closed the deal.

This used to be my "secret seduction tool" until everyone else found out about it. You know what I mean, the sort of album you'd put on when you got home with that special friend you had just met a few hours ago. Just put on "heart shaped world" and shift into auto-pilot while Chris and his buddies did the seduction for you.

In a way I'm sad that "heart shaped world" has become so well known. Well known albums get dismissed as acoustic wall paper because they recieve so much airplay.

Despite "Heart shaped world's" public acceptance, it is still a romantic classic. Beautiful sounds and lovely words.

Don't dismiss Chris Issac as just another country and western pretty boy. Chris's music has real heart without being cheesy and the sounds that back him are perfect.

Beautifully romantic music.

Wicked Game has to be the sexiest, most soothing songs I have ever heard. I plan on buying the cd just for that song, although i'm sure i'll fall in love with the rest. Chris Isaak redefined the word sexy when he composed this one. I'll never get tired of this song.