The singer will combine interviews with performances from musical guests in as relaxed an atmosphere as he can create.

Backstage on dinner break during a long day of taping in Hollywood for his new A&E/Bio music series that premieres tonight, Bay Area rocker Chris Isaak was pondering the government's plan to bail out our staggering economy.

"They're giving millions to Detroit for making bad cars, and millions to banks for writing bad loans," Isaak, 52, said in typically droll fashion, nary a hair out of place in that perfect mahogany pompadour of his. "Well, what about bad songwriters? I've written plenty of bad songs in my life -- where's my bailout?"

You wouldn't know it from his new album, "Mr. Lucky," released on Tuesday to coincide with the premiere of "The Chris Isaak Hour," which brings him back to cable TV after three successful seasons earlier this decade in Showtime's "The Chris Isaak Show."

In place of that series' fictionalized look at a musician's life on- and offstage, the new program is all about real music. It's a combination performance-interview spotlight that gives each week's guests the chance to dig in and explore the creative process with their witty and knowledgeable host.

The first round of episodes highlights the music and careers of Trisha Yearwood, the Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens), Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Chicago and Michael Bublé.