He's a soul man

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Around the same time, I would have given myself much longer odds of staying the duration of a Rea concert, let alone enjoying one.

But things change. Since his recovery, Rea has been a man on a mission, turning his full attention to the only music he’s ever really loved: the blues.

His latest offering, The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes, is Rea’s very own Sgt Pepper’s. He may be 40 years behind The Beatles in this transmogrification, but it sure beats another Greatest Hits compilation.

The Royal Albert Hall provided the right theatrical setting for Rea to act out his eccentric musical fantasy. With dozens of Hofner guitars suspended in mid-air behind him, the 57-year-old wowed the audience as three separate acts: twangy guitarist in Fifties instrumentalists The Delmonts!; raspy vocalist in Sixties rhythm and blues outfit The Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes; and cheesy crooner as, well, Chris Rea.

The raw intensity of the Blue Notes gave Rea’s voice licence to let rip. Legacy Blues saw Rea’s bark genuinely frighten the front row, even if its subject, the Bush administration, was hopelessly out of sync with the chronology of the evening.

Rea has become something else, and it’s a rhythm and blues revelation.

Chris Rea
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP