Blue Guitars cover

Released 21 years ago this October

Blue Guitars

Chris Rea · 2005

614 min · 137 tracks · blues

A rich tapestry of blues-infused melodies weaving through themes of longing and reflection across vibrant instrumental landscapes.

Top tracks — play these first

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    West Africa (instrumental) Start here — establishes the sonic palette early
  • →
    Cry for Home — This track exemplifies Rea's signature storytelling style, where he articulates a sense of longing with soulful guitar riffs that enhance the emotional weight of the lyrics.
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    KKK Blues — With its provocative title and poignant lyrics, this song addresses social issues head-on while retaining a classic blues sound, making it a striking commentary on contemporary society.
  • →
    Praise the Lord — This track showcases Rea's blend of gospel influences and blues, creating a powerful anthem about resilience and hope that stands out within the album's narrative arc.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • dynamic journey with emotional peaks
  • for reflective late nights
  • layered sounds for detail exploration
  • soulful instrumentation for deep listening
  • ideal for long, contemplative sessions

Maybe skip if you

  • seeking quick, upbeat tracks
  • prefer standalone singles over albums

Where this album fits

In the catalog
Late Career Highlight — Shows continued vitality and exploration of themes after health issues.
Themes
roots of blues· racial injustice commentary· longing for home
Career context
By the time Chris Rea released 'Blue Guitars' in 2005, he was enjoying a resurgence after his health issues in the late 1990s. This album followed his previous work, 'Dancing with Strangers', and showcased his continued evolution as a blues artist, reflecting a more introspective side of his songwriting and guitar work.
Stylistic neighbors
Mark Knopfler· John Hiatt· Joe Cocker

Tracklist

Disc 1

  • 1 West Africa (instrumental) Start here 4:16
  • 2 Cry for Home 4:58
  • 3 The King Who Sold His Own 5:18
  • 4 White Man Coming 4:01
  • 5 Where the Blues Come From 6:19
  • 6 Lord Tell Me It Won’t Be Long 4:58
  • 7 Work Gang 4:33
  • 8 Praise the Lord 4:41
  • 9 Sweet Sunday 5:39
  • 10 Sing Out the Devil 6:08
  • 11 Boss Man Cut My Chains 3:23

Disc 2

  • 1 Walkin’ Country Blues 3:41
  • 2 Man Gone Missing 4:40
  • 3 Can’t Stay Blues 4:58
  • 4 KKK Blues 4:56
  • 5 Too Much Drinkin’ 4:52
  • 6 Catwalk Woman 4:32
  • 7 If You’ve Got a Friend in Jesus 4:24
  • 8 Head Out on the Highway 4:31
  • 9 Wild Pony 4:10
  • 10 Steam Train Blues 3:50
  • 11 Going Up to Memphis 4:20
  • 12 Somewhere Between Highway 61 & 49 6:06
  • 13 Ticket for Chicago 5:16
  • 14 Dance All Night Long 4:33

Disc 3

  • 1 Two Days Missing Down the Viper Room 3:00
  • 2 Who Cares If I Do 4:35
  • 3 What Made Me Love You 3:22
  • 4 You Got Dixie 4:41
  • 5 One Night With You 5:29
  • 6 Talking ’Bout New Orleans 5:27
  • 7 Le Fleur de La Vie (instrumental) 3:15
  • 8 Catfish Girl 3:51
  • 9 Only a Fool Plays by the Rules 4:01
  • 10 Baby Come Home 3:34
  • 11 Dance Avec Moi (instrumental) 3:17
  • 12 L’Ete Eternal (instrumental) 3:33

Disc 4

  • 1 Electric Guitar 4:44
  • 2 Electric Memphis Blues 4:17
  • 3 All Night Long 4:14
  • 4 Born Bad 3:49
  • 5 Let’s Start Again 3:54
  • 6 What I’m Looking For 4:28
  • 7 Rules of Love 3:13
  • 8 What You Done to Me 3:30
  • 9 Hobo Love Blues 3:39
  • 10 Pass Me By 3:08
  • 11 The Soul of My Father’s Shadow 3:55
  • 12 My Blue World Says Hello 4:08

Disc 5

  • 1 Lone Rider 4:46
  • 2 Texas Blue 5:11
  • 3 No Wheels Blues 5:05
  • 4 Lone Star Boogie 5:18
  • 5 Blind Willie 6:49
  • 6 The American Way 4:07
  • 7 Angellina 4:48
  • 8 Truck Stop 4:49
  • 9 Weekend Down Mexico 4:20
  • 10 Texas Line Boogie 4:41
  • 11 Too Big City 5:05
  • 12 Houston Angel 4:01

Disc 6

  • 1 I’m Moving Up 4:33
  • 2 Maxwell Street 4:39
  • 3 Bob Taylor 5:15
  • 4 She’s a Whole Heap of Trouble 2:31
  • 5 Jazzy Blue 3:27
  • 6 Hip‐sway 3:40
  • 7 That’s the Way It Goes 3:33
  • 8 To Get Your Love 5:08
  • 9 Chicago Morning 4:57
  • 10 Catwalk Woman 3:36
  • 11 Since You’ve Been Gone 4:11
  • 12 All Night Long 5:27
  • 13 Here She Comes Now 4:16

Disc 7

  • 1 Last Call 3:33
  • 2 Maybe That’s All I Need to Know 4:22
  • 3 Deep Winter Blues 5:03
  • 4 If I Ever Get Over You 5:00
  • 5 I Love the Rain 4:28
  • 6 My Soul Crying Out for You 3:28
  • 7 If That’s What You Want 4:10
  • 8 There’s No One Looking 5:23
  • 9 What Became of You 4:47
  • 10 My Deep Blue Ways 4:18

Disc 8

  • 1 Sweet Love 4:12
  • 2 Break Another Piece of My Heart 4:19
  • 3 Ball & Chain 4:55
  • 4 Gospel Trail 4:50
  • 5 Shy Boy 3:34
  • 6 Come Change My World 4:03
  • 7 Call on Me 3:58
  • 8 Just in Case You Never Knew 4:06
  • 9 Let Me In 5:36
  • 10 I’ll Be There for You 4:05
  • 11 The Pain of Loving You 3:36
  • 12 Are You Ready 6:07

Disc 9

  • 1 Celtic Blue (instrumental) 7:59
  • 2 Too Far From Home 7:30
  • 3 ’til the Morning Sun Shines on My Love and Me 5:30
  • 4 Lucky Day 5:10
  • 5 What She Really Is 4:57
  • 6 Wishing Well 3:59
  • 7 Irish Blues 3:59
  • 8 No More Sorrow 5:51
  • 9 While I Remain 4:54
  • 10 Last Drink 4:57
  • 11 ’til I Find My True Love’s Name 3:32
  • 12 Big White Door 5:31

Disc 10

  • 1 Hey Gringo 5:49
  • 2 Immigration Blues 5:08
  • 3 Still Trying to Clear My Name 4:09
  • 4 Sun Is Hot 4:13
  • 5 Screw You and Your Deep Blue Sea 4:22
  • 6 Nothing Seems to Matter No More 3:39
  • 7 Sometimes 4:52
  • 8 Lampiou 5:40
  • 9 Keep On Dancing 3:49
  • 10 Lucifer’s Angel 4:49
  • 11 How I Know It’s You 4:00
  • 12 Forever 4:36
  • 13 You Got Soul 5:08
  • 14 Bajan Blue 4:29

Disc 11

  • 1 My Baby Told Me (Blues) 2:42
  • 2 Got to Be Moving 3:46
  • 3 My Baby Told Me (Gospel) 3:04
  • 4 Heartbreaker 2:47
  • 5 Yes I Do (instrumental) 3:16
  • 6 Wasted Love 4:30
  • 7 Cool Cool Blue 3:56
  • 8 Clarkson Blues 4:56
  • 9 Who Killed Love 4:04
  • 10 Never Tie Me Down 4:05
  • 11 Mindless 3:46
  • 12 Ain’t That Just the Prettiest Thing 5:07
  • 13 Nobody but You 3:33
  • 14 Waiting for Love 4:40
  • 15 Blue Morning in the Rain 4:30

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata