article1983

CHRIS REA is no superstar, that is a fact which the husky-voiced North of England lad will readily admit.

Instead, as a modest singer-songwriter, he slots in somewhere in the second division. enjoying moderate success and with a small but devoted following.

However, Rea is a trouper. having served a long apprenticeship, he is quite willing to accept that he will never be an Elvis Costello or a Bruce Springsteen.

Rea has been making albums for years and these never really won the attention he sought and, ironically, it was Elkie Brooks treatment of his “Fool If You Think It’s Over" which helped establish his name.

As so often happens with British singer-songwriters, Chris Rea's talents were recognized first by willing Irish record buyers.

Biggest seller amongst those albums has been his latest, 'Water Sign" and it was from this enjoyable LP that Rea drew most of his repertoire for two sell-out shows in Dublin's National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

His backing band were smart and effective, especially the keyboards player. However, with Rea contributing most of the lead guitar work there was a certain tendency to needless heaviness on occasions and too many lengthy solos.

There was "Nothing Happening By The Sea","Candles", "Love's Strange Ways", "Texas", "Midnight Blue", Out of the Darkness" and of course his big hit. "I Ca n Hear Your Heartbeat", plus his new single “Hey you” all from Water Sign.

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Leaving the Stadium the cold night air hits the brain but it doesn't dull the senses, honed to a fine sharpness by virtue of having seen what must rank as one of Dublin's finest gigs in 1983.

Real commercial success had eluded Chris Rea 'till the release recently of "Water Sign", but on this evidence hard times are a thing of the past. A storming 90-minute set was the reward for those who packed out the venue, revealing that there's a harder edge to Rea's music than much of his recorded output would suggest.

Most of the set was taken from "Water Sign", "Candles", a song about Poland making the transition from vinyl most effectively. The keyboards player was inspired throughout adding much depth and texture to songs like the Springsteenish "Hey You".

Finally, Rea's guitar playing was tough and precise, and contributed in no small way to a gig that brimmed with verve, and genuïne class

The rasping voice of Chris Rea delighted his fans last night at the National Stadium in Dublin for the opening of RTE’s Music Festival.

The English singer-songwriter who has known the hard struggle to reach stardom. had the audience in a frenzy of enthusiasm.

He accomplished his task with such ease that it is baffling to think that he has not yet fully broken into the highly competitive British pop market.

Backed by a superb band, the star launched into a string of hits –from his Water Sign album to the delight of the sell-out crowd.

"Candles", "Midnight Blue", "Ace of Hearts", "Love Strange Ways", "Texas" were followed by a 10-minute version of "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat".

After just an hour - with the crowd on it’s feet - he bade a brief farewell but returned for two encores which included “Winning” and “Fool if you think it’s over”.