Track Listing

1. The Beat Goes On
2. Long Is The Time, Hard Is The Road
3. Lets Do It
4. Let It Roll
5. Steel River Blues
6. Somebody Say Amen
7. Blue Street
8. Monday Morning
9. Restless Soul
10. What Kind Of Love Is This
11. Paint My Jukebox Blue
12. Baby Don't Cry
13. Speed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47261 in Music
• Released on: 2004-03-22
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.co.uk Review
Chris Rea's voice has been maturing to a whisky-soaked growl in recent years, and The Blue Jukebox should wipe away any last, lingering bits of his MOR reputation once and for all. His voice--pitched somewhere between Mark Knopfler and Tom Waits--is the perfect accompaniment to the world-weary jazz of The Blue Jukebox. Since recovering from serious illness a few years ago, he's detoured far from The Road to Hell, taking his sound right back to fundamentals, and in the process become one heck of a blues singer and guitarist, leaving contemporaries such as Eric Clapton in the dust. The slide guitar, shuffling beat and low-wailing sax of "The Beat Goes On" are even reminiscent of former indie darlings Morphine--quite a feat for a man in his 50s. Most impressively, many of the songs here--particularly "Monday Morning" and "Long Is the Time, Hard Is the Road"--have a certain timeless quality, in spite of being Rea originals. The Blue Jukebox is the ideal late-night album, and more than just Rea's best yet--it's a genuinely exceptional collection of soulful, blues-drenched jazz. --Robert Burrow

CD Description
'The Blue Jukebox' is Rea's 19th studio album and follows on from 2003's 'Blue Street'. His illness that preceded this release contributed to a more back to basics approach from Rea both in terms of production and musical style. Husky vocals and slide guitar take the forefront of this album and 12 bar blues are as prominent as ever.

Customer Reviews

Atmospheric album - great sound
This album is a confirmation of Chris Rea's direction these days and is a far cry from the MOR style he has dome before. I for one think this album is superb. The vocals are gruff, the sound of the guitars and sax work well so well togther that you can almost see the curling smoke in the night club. Its got such an atmosphere on this album that it demands you listen - its not back ground music and thats a fact. Forget what you think you know about Chris Rea - this is someone who really feels his music and is such a far cry from the manufactured pop stuff you get on the radio.

Cris Rea's best yet....
Having waited with great enthusiasm for this 'second' reborn Rea album, I was surprised to find a collection of work not too unlike some earlier albums. His shift in direction on Stony Road came as a bit of a shock to the system, albeit a pleasant one, and to be honest I anticipated more of exactly the same. Some purists may disagree here, but the mood of this album is not so unlike that of Blue Cafe or King of the Beach - both classic, chillout Rea! Yes, there are many parallels with Stony Road and the artist's love for Jazz/Blues is certainly apparent, but this time the change from his earlier work is slightly more subtle. Here we're treat to a laid back fusion of smouldering sax and gentle piano laced with classic Rea slide guitar playing and bluesy vocals. Rea fans who may have found the transition in Stony Road a bit hard going and prefer his older more gentle work will love this. Having acquired the taste for the new Chris Rea and collected his every album, I can hand on heart say that this has to be one of the best yet. I challenge anyone looking for late night wind down to find fault with this sublime work of art. Superb - Buy it!!

He Can't get Better than This!
With each album I say Chris Rea can't possibly top himself. With album I am prove myself wrong agin. he has fantastically topped Stoney Road! This is so obviously and clearly what he was meant to do! The ice cream world can survive without him - the music industry cannot! Blues, raw emotions, gutsy lyrics, fantastic slide guitar work, outstanding horns and a flow from beginning to end that makes this a souful journey. This is a masterpiece of quality musicianship. Somebody say AMEN to Chris following his heart. This is exactly what he was meant to do! Highly recommend this to anyone who loves the blues, good story telling and legendary guitar work.