Isaak’s latest album isn’t so lucky and sags in subject

‘ ‘ ‘ Chris Isaak’s incredibly talented vocals can’t hide the fact that there was little… ‘ ‘ ‘ Chris Isaak’s incredibly talented vocals can’t hide the fact that there was little inspiration for his first new studio album in seven years. ‘ ‘ ‘ Mr. Lucky seems like a sarcastic title for the record since most of the tracks are depressing songs about lost love ‘mdash; evidence of this might be the fact that the title is in quotation marks on the album cover. ‘ ‘ ‘ Isaak can belt out the high, powerful notes rather impressively, but his strength is his versatility. Just in the first song, ‘Cheater’s Town,’ he uses a swaying, flowing voice during the chorus that sounds like Elvis, but switches into a powerful falsetto near the end of each. And during the verses he sings in a deep, Johnny Cash-like voice. Toward the end of the album, he gets more emotional, and his voice gets slightly raspy and sounds like a modern rocker. ‘ ‘ ‘ But despite Isaak’s best effort to create captivating vocals in the song, it is relatively bland ‘mdash; mainly because of its topic. He sings about falling out of loving, leaving the ‘cheater’s town’ and debating if he will ever return home. ‘ ‘ ‘ Unfortunately, the album never truly picks up from the slow start. 10 of the next 13 songs are about former loves and coping. ‘ ‘ ‘ Thankfully, Isaak’s great singing keeps the album bearable and almost enjoyable. He puts on a clinic for vocalists as he showcases nearly every type of vocal talent and technique. ‘ ‘ ‘ In ‘We Got Tomorrow’ (one of the few optimistic love songs), he puts his smooth and soft voice on full display, which is striking considering that the previous song, ‘You Don’t Cry Like I Do,’ features incredibly powerful high notes, which he holds for ridiculous lengths after singing extremely softly in the verses. ‘ ‘ ‘ Along with the aforementioned falsettos, he also showcases his modern rocker voice. In ‘Mr. Lonely Man,’ which is ironically upbeat considering the title, he switches from the familiar Elvis-style intro into a modern rocker that sounds very similar to Jet’s ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Isaak is looking in the mirror at his lonely, depressing self and sings, ‘I don’t usually talk to mirrors / But until that girl appears / It looks like you’re the only friend I’ve got.’ The song ends with Isaak shouting, ‘How am I gonna do it?’ which triggers a fun response from the band, as it asks the same question. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Mr. Lonely Man’ is by far the most ‘mdash; if not the only ‘mdash; truly interesting song on the album in terms of substance. But ‘Breaking Apart’ takes the crown for vocal interest. ‘ ‘ ‘ The song is a duet with Trisha Yearwood, and neither musician sings backup to the other as their voices blend beautifully while belting out this breakup song. They both sing about how they pretend to be fine after the breakup. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Just another day without you / I’ll be okay without you / I’ll be all right,’ Isaak redundantly sings. ‘ ‘ ‘ Isaak and Yearwood take turns trying to convince themselves that they are OK, but they finally give in. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I’m breaking apart inside / Cry in my sleep at night,’ they sing powerfully before they switch into a beautifully harmonic falsetto. ‘ ‘ ‘ Yearwood has recorded numerous duets with her husband Garth Brooks, but the couple’s vocals do not blend nearly as well as Isaak’s and Yearwood’s. Their equally powerful voices make for a doubly powerful song. ‘ ‘ ‘ The rest of the album is unfortunately bland. Every song deals with love and most of them are depressing. There are no profound realizations about life or love, and each song basically whines about a woman that did him wrong. ‘ ‘ ‘ Isaak’s amazing vocals can’t save this album. So if you’re ever feeling too happy or invincible, just pop this CD in and you’ll come crashing back down to reality.’