Chris Isaak's latest effort, Baja Sessions, is a laid back, sentimental effort inspired by a south-of-the-border expedition taken by Isaak and his band. It includes some of Isaak's all-time favorites, new versions of his own tunes, and three new songs. "Some of these songs I've been singing around the house for a long time," Isaak says. "That's generally how I know I like something."
Roy Orbison's perennial classic, "Only The Lonely" is among Isaak's choices. "It's always been a really fun song to sing," he remarks. "[Orbison] actually has a very cool vocal arrangement that goes where you don't expect. I just tried to follow him." Isaak also performs Arthur Lyman's "Yellow Bird," a song which he first heard on his father's hi-fi. The Gene Autry standard "South of the Border" is also covered, as well as the easy-paced ballad "Return To Me." Isaak re-worked five of his own songs for the album and added three new originals, including the upbeat "Think of Tomorrow." "It's really a record for people who don't have time to take a vacation," he says. "Just put it on, sit in a wading pool and you'll pretty much get the effect."
