Chris Isaak is not quite Roy Orbison, but he is now ten years older than Orbison ever was, which shocks me, anyway. Isaak's rockabilly growl resembles Orbison's more playful teddy-bear style—but again like Orbison, he sails high notes across shimmering backings, creating a virtual beachscape so smooth and so eerie, you have to get in your car and drive, just to give it some rubber-tire roughage. Easy to say Isaak's style never escapes stylization, but I disagree. Maybe it's because I spent so much time on those lamentations in my MTV days. And I never learned to drive. by Andrew Hamlin