Freddie Atlas (aka Frederic Casimir) was born in Canada, but plies his musical trade and hangs his hat in New York City these days. He’s a singer and songwriter who also plays piano. With his new single he’s reinterpreting someone else’s song rather than creating his own. Still, he brings his own style to the table. That single is “Wicked Game.” It’s a cover of the Chris Isaak song. The song was released in 1989 but didn’t become a hit until it was featured in a film the next year. It reached number six in the Billboard Hot 100.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015  Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

I wasn't expecting such a mellow sound on this version, so I was pleasantly surprised. Atlas sounds a little like Isaak, but his voice is more soulful. In some spots it sounds as if there is a phantom voice. This song is beautiful and calming. I've listened to it several times, and I've heard different nuances that give me chills. While I was never a fan of Chris Isaak, Freddie Atlas really brings this into a new world.

(Editor's Note - Music Street Journal is set up for the allocation of albums, not singles - particularly not one-song singles. So, in the instances, like this one, where we've covered single song releases, we've had to make some adaptations for formatting. In the case of this one, just imagine both track review and overall review reading as one set of copy. )