Why Chris Isaak?

He's made virtually the same album for the last 20 years, so why am I liking Chris Isaak's Mr. Lucky so much? It could be that it's his first album in 7 years. Or maybe the songs are better than on his last couple of studio albums. The time off seems to have been good for Isaak's songs, which while not touching on any new subjects, have at their core a punch that was lacking on his recent albums. Isaak's wry sense of humor comes off better on his TV appearances than they do on his albums, and I wish he'd just go and do a whole album of throwaways. Or maybe the reason this album sounds so good is that after all these years, no one does what he does best. I think Robert Christgau called it "Rockabilly AC" and if Orbison meets early Tom Petty (thanks, Newsday reviewer) sounds good to you than this is worth a listen.