“Well I’m standing by a river, but the water doesn’t flow, It boils with every poison you can think of, and I’m underneath the streetlights, but the light of joy I know, scared beyond belief way down in the shadows” – Chris Rea. An English songwriter with dedicated fans who became famous in the late 80’s especially with the songs “Heaven“, “Blue Cafe”, “Road to hell“, “On the beach“. Today he is withdrawn from his international pop career and focuses mostly on his blues origins and performances.
Rea started his career in the late 70’s and his music then was different comparing to his famous songs. The first albums sound more like blues and there is nothing remarkable about them as they still sound immature (with the exception of “Fool if you Think it’s Over”). Chris Rea started sounding good from the “Chris Rea” album of 1982 where we find the song “With every beat of my heart”. This is a fantastic ballad where the for first time we identify his rich Italian influences (he is of Italian descent). Next comes the album ?Water Sign? which clearly shows good improvement with the notable songs “Candles” and “Texas”. Not so good was the “Wired to the Moon” album where the title song is the only worthy one.
Everything shows that the top of his career comes with the “On the Beach” album. The title song and also the “Hello Friend” “Dancing with the strangers”,”Road to hell”,”Auberge” are Rea’s diamonds. “Windy Town”, “Tell Me There’s a Heaven”, “That’s What They Always Say”, “Gone Fishing”, “Heaven”, “The Mention Of Your Name”, “Every Second Counts”/”Looking For The Summer” “Sing A Song Of Love To Me” are without doubt the top moments in his career. Unique guitar interpretation and Italian influences softly take over the compositions. It seems that he is craving for some sunny holidays as most of the songs are inspired from a holiday landscapes not only in that era but also in the 90?s albums.
If one tries to analyze his music the bottom line would be that it is a fine mixture of blues-based rock together with many Italian references in the melodies. But Rea’s music is much more than that. It is a fully satisfying experience with an excellent arrangement and engineering. It is full of brilliant music ideas and images and at the same time expresses only the essential. The guitar melody is often modest but also fulfilling, more than any complicated guitar solo show-off. He is also one of those few who have the ability to create a live atmosphere and sound as good as his recordings. It is a whole different experience to listen to Rea on stage.
Chris Rea is one of the great singers/songwriters of England and of the world and we believe that he is not appreciated in his country as much as he should be. Yes, he made it in the US (his blues foundations helped him there), he made it in Europe but his popularity is somewhat overshadowed in the UK by other, less significant bands whose sound is nowhere near him and are clearly overestimated. The newly opened London museum “British Music Experience” owes him a place.
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