The Blue Cafe is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in January 1998. The singles released for the album were "The Blue Cafe", "Thinking of You", "Sweet Summer Day" and "Square Peg, Round Hole". There was also a Japanese version with three bonus tracks, "Kyoto Blue", "Ameno Nakano Kiirono Herumetto" and "On the Beach". It was Rea's sixth successive album to reach the UK top ten, peaking at No. 10.

Critical reception The Irish Times noted the "menacing atmosphere" evident on the album, "rooted mostly in Rea's sandpaper voice. And the twisted blues lines he plays on guitar". "Shadows of the Big Man" is "focused, multifaceted...But best of all is the title song, The Blue Cafe. An album that is bound to be a pure delight for fans of the man."

Track listing All songs by Chris Rea. "Square Peg, Round Hole" – 3:58 "Miss Your Kiss" – 4:05 "Shadows of the Big Man" – 4:49 "Where Do We Go from Here?" – 4:32 "Since I Found You" – 4:37 "Thinking of You" – 3:31 "As Long as I Have Your Love" – 4:44 "Anyone Quite Like You" – 4:49 "Sweet Summer Day" – 4:45 "Stick by You" – 4:05 "I'm Still Holding On" – 4:55 "The Blue Cafe" – 4:49

Japanese bonus tracks "Kyoto Blue" – 4:44 "Ameno Nakano Kiirono Herumetto" – 4:12 "On the Beach" – 5:03

Personnel

Musicians Chris Rea – vocals, guitars Max Middleton – keyboards Sylvin Marc – bass Martin Ditcham – drums, percussion

Production Chris Rea – producer Frédéric Blanc-Garin – engineer Ian Cooper – mastering at Metropolis Mastering (London, UK) Tommy Willis – guitar and amplifier technician John Carver – art direction Insect – design, artwork Brian R. Brown – photography Terry O'Neill – cover photography Jim Beach – management

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for The Blue Cafe Chart (1998) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. 178

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for The Blue Cafe Chart (1998) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 66

Certifications

References