Album Chris Isaak, Beyond The Sun

Beyond The Sun is Chris Isaak's tribute to the Sun Studios sound that gave birth to rock'n'roll, a collection of covers recorded in the same studio, thus capturing the specific acoustic traits crucial to those original recordings. Or some of them, at least: in some cases – "Ring of Fire", "O Pretty Woman" – the material dates from the artists' post-Sun careers. But there's no denying the aplomb with which Isaak handles even Presley's vocal parts, which are respectful without being slavish copies. The backings are spot-on too, Isaak's band swaggering like the Bill Black Combo on "My Baby Left Me". But it's a couple of less well-known rockabilly rave-ups – Carl Perkins' "Dixie Fried" and Jimmy Wages' "Miss Pearl" – that best evoke the greasy white-trash flavour of early Southern rock'n'roll.

DOWNLOAD THIS Dixie Fried; Miss Pearl; My Baby Left Me