Road Songs for Lovers
Studio album by
Chris Rea
Released29 September 2017
Recorded2017
StudioMetropolis Studios
Genre
Length58:20
LabelJazzee Blue & BMG
ProducerChris Rea
Chris Rea chronology
The Journey 1978-2009
(2011)		 Road Songs for Lovers
(2017)		 One Fine Day
(2019)
Music video
"Last Train (Lyric Video)" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
laut.de[2]
Louder Sound[3]
Polityka[4]
Record Collector[5]
The Spill Magazine[6]

Road Songs for Lovers is the twenty-fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released on 29 September 2017 by Jazzee Blue and BMG labels.[7]

Background

Rea stated there was no initial intention to make a new album, but after a bad medical condition in 2016 he started to write new songs which eventually led to a band regroup, and first album release in six years.[8] A semi-concept album,[9] the songs were inspired by traveling on the road to London, seeing couples in cars and questioning the "people's love stories inside cars".[10] According to Rea, most of the songs are about a boy-girl relationship in the car. He has stated that his favorite song is "Last Train", the lyrics of which are not about the typical meaning of the last train which goes home, but taking the last train in a desperate situation without knowing anything about its direction.[8]

Release

The album was released on a double gatefold vinyl LP, and CD edition featuring 12-page booklet. Prior to the album release the song "The Road Ahead" was released on 29 July 2017 as a single for digital download and streaming.[11]

Tour

The album release was followed by a European tour with 37 dates which started in October until December, 2017.[12] During the tour he had to have daily three hours long therapy for nerves in his right hand.[13] On 9 December, Rea collapsed during a performance at the New Theatre Oxford, the 35th concert of the tour.[14] He was taken to hospital, with his condition stabilised,[15] and the last two concerts canceled.[16]

Reception

Doug Collette, in a review for All About Jazz, gave the album 4/5 stars, concluding that "the sonics of this album, as applied to the tantalizing guitar solo of 'Last Train' and throughout the album, are a reassuring blend of succor and salve for body, mind and soul".[1] Aaron Badgley for The Spill Magazine also gave it 4/5 rating, praising the album for its blend of blues and rock, stating that "young artists would do well to study this one, it really could be a blueprint for how a good rock album should sound".[17]

Andrew W. Griffin rated it 4.5/5, considered "Last Train" to be "delivered in gothic, world-weary style that brings to mind Bob Dylan or Tom Waits or Nick Cave" and praised the engineers, Alex Robinson and Tim Young, mastering.[18] Hugh Fielder writing for Louder Sound commented, "As the title suggests, Rea is on familiar ground once again, but his fans won’t be complaining. After all, the scenery on any road trip is an endless vista of observations and speculations, and Rea’s lyrics can evoke both with consummate ease, drawing you closer as the album progresses. The musical class on this record is, of course, a given."[3]

Hugh Fielder from TeamRock gave it 3.5/5 stars and stated that "fans won't be complaining. After all, the scenery on any road trip is an endless vista of observations and speculations, and Rea's lyrics can evoke both with consummate ease, drawing you closer as the album progresses".[19] Giuliano Benassi for laut.de gave a score of 3/5 and concluded it gives "easy listening for intense concert evenings" and that Rea "still does not lack musical ideas".[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris Rea

No.TitleLength
1."Happy on the Road"3:46
2."Nothing Left Behind"5:29
3."Road Songs for Lovers"4:13
4."Money"5:57
5."Two Lost Souls"4:46
6."Rock My Soul"4:07
7."Moving On"5:10
8."The Road Ahead"4:16
9."Last Train"6:33
10."Angel of Love"4:29
11."Breaking Point"5:54
12."Beautiful"3:40
Total length:58:20

Personnel

  • Chris Rea – vocals, guitars [21]
  • Robert Ahwai – rhythm guitars
  • Neil Drinkwater – keyboards
  • James Ahwai – bass
  • Martin Ditcham – drums

Production

  • Producer, Cover (Collage) – Chris Rea
  • Engineer and Mixing – Alex Robinson
  • Mastering – Tim Young
  • Art Direction and Design – Melanie Fordyce and Stuart Crouch Creative
  • Photography – Adam Cowe

Charts

Chart performance for Road Songs for Lovers
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 34
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 30
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 52
French Albums (SNEP)[26] 188
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 11

References

  1. 1 2 Doug Collette (30 September 2017). "Chris Rea: Road Songs For Lovers Review". All About Jazz. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Benassi, liano. "Zurück zum Easy Listening vergangener Tage". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 Fielder, Hugh (6 September 2017). "Chris Rea - Road Songs For Lovers album review". Louder Sound. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  4. ↑ Mann, Wojciech (30 October 2017). "Recenzja płyty: Chris Rea, "Road Songs for Lovers"" [Album review: Chris Rea, "Road Songs for Lovers"]. Polityka (in Polish). Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  5. ↑ Staunton, Terry. "Road Songs For Lovers - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  6. ↑ Badgley, Aaron (29 September 2017). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHRIS REA - ROAD SONGS FOR LOVERS". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "Road Songs for Lovers". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  8. 1 2 Chris Rea (16 August 2017). Chris Rea-Road Songs For Lovers (Interview). YouTube. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  9. ↑ Yates, Henry (3 October 2017). "How Chris Rea became rock's ultimate survivor". Classic Rock. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  10. ↑ Dave Robson (30 August 2017). "Chris Rea on having a stroke, touring, his new album - and racing an old police car". Gazette Live. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Chris Rea announces September 29th release of new BMG album 'Road Songs For Lovers'!". FrontView Magazine. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  12. ↑ Dave Robson (24 April 2017). "Chris Rea reveals tour dates as he goes back on the road again". Gazette Live. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  13. ↑ Graeme Thomson (18 November 2017). "Chris Rea: 'I hate hotels rooms. They remind me of hospitals and I've had enough of them'". The Herald. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  14. ↑ Lin Jenkins (9 December 2017). "Chris Rea 'stable' after on-stage collapse at Oxford theatre". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  15. ↑ Nicola Harley (10 December 2017). "Chris Rea, Driving Home For Christmas star, 'stable' after 'falling into a clump' on stage". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  16. ↑ Laura Harding (11 December 2017). "Chris Rea cancels another show after collapsing on stage". The Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  17. ↑ Aaron Badgley. "Spill Album Review: Chris Rea - Road Songs For Lovers". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  18. ↑ Andrew W. Griffin (7 December 2017). "Chris Rea returns with sublime "Road Songs For Lovers"". Red Dirt Report. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  19. ↑ Hugh Fielder (6 September 2017). "Chris Rea - Road Songs For Lovers album review". TeamRock. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  20. ↑ Giuliano Benassi (29 September 2017). "Zurück zum Easy Listening vergangener Tage". laut.de (in German). LAUT AG. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "Chris Rea - Road Songs for Lovers". Discogs. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  22. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Chris Rea – Road Songs for Lovers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
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