Customer Reviews

Road to Hell

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a CR fan for quite a few years. However, I found that many of his earlier works seemed to lack continuity. Even the so called 'BEST OF' compilations did not do much for me. This, however, could easily be described as a true best of CD. Every song is tight, and the songs all seem to flow into each other. I have played this CD over and over, since receiving it. 'Road To Hell' will be in my rotation for a long, long time to come. Attaboy Chris!!!

With his Mark Knophler style smoky baritone voice with a cool, mellow delivery, Chris Rea puts together a dark semi-concept album with "The Road To Hell" that flows very smoothly with some of his best material of his career. Hard to believe this is the same artist that did the 1978 hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" as most of his career has taken place in the U.K. with very little exposure here in the U.S. Rea's tight band cooks very well with a bluesy assault throughout "The Road To Hell".

Though each song is enjoyable with the usual Rea wistful sentimentality, one song that stands out for all-time for me is the fantastic, smooth "Texas". This classic track starts out with Rea's mellow voice and dialog accompanied with a very enjoyable, keen vibe-keyboard rhythm groove backdrop as he "talks" to his wife to consider moving the family to Texas. The song eventually smoothly energizes with a tight Joe Walsh-like sounding/style bluesy guitar that again flows so smooth and is absolutely awesome. The state of Texas should be proud of "Texas"!!! You will enjoy this album!!!

I first heard the song "Tell me there's a heaven" and knew instantly that I had to have the CD. At that time, I had not ever heard of Chris Rea, and it was his voice alone, that first intrigued me to buy this CD. Chris's voice is chilling and the lyrics to this song and others have such content and speak volumes... If you are looking for music that is soft, soothing and also a little bit of rock & roll, I highly recommend this CD which is well worth the money.

I'm glad someone pointed out that this is a concept album with all the songs integrated as part of the same story. I hadn't really thought about that before. I know this was a darker Chris Rea album, especially after the celebratory Dancing With Strangers. But I enjoyed the difference. There is still a lot of musical diversity on this album, which was to be diminished with later, more heavily blues albums.
From the moody intro and brooding blues-rock of the title track, to the gentle appeal for a brighter day (Tell Me There's a Heaven), this is a strong, musically infectious album. In fact, both the opening and closing songs were included on Rea's "Best of," but there were other singles from Road inexplicably left off greatest hits compilations. Both Daytona and That's What They Always Say were released as singles in South Africa with some success.

For me, this album marks the big watershed in Chris Rea's career. Everything he did beforehand seems to be leading up to this, and everything since seems to be falling gradually away (not without some merit, it might be said). In many ways, this album reminds me of a 'concept' album - the tracks all revolve around the same idea - basically the social decline in the UK in the late 1980s. Chris Rea takes up his theme with enthusiasm - there are songs about the M25 (London Orbital Motorway) being clogged with traffic (the title track), the TV news (You Must Be Evil) and the political and social scene generally (Looking for a Rainbow). Two song deal with escapism - 'Texas' - the idea of getting away from all the troubles, and 'Daytona' - more cars.

Musically, this album is excellent. True, the backing may sometimes leave a little to be desired, but Chris is a vituoso Slide Guitar player, and this album doesn't dissapoint. Also, very typically Chris Rea, the guitar is well integrated into the music - long introverted solos are not his scene.

The closing track deserves a special mention. 'Tell Me Theres a Heaven' is a totally over the top attempt to make sense of it all. In any other setting it would probably sound plain silly, but after all this seriousness it just about works, especially if you're a lover of happy endings.

Overall, this album is not without it's flaws - but that probably goes for most albums ever made. Ultimately, the positive things contained here more than make up for the flaws; I highly recommend this work.

This album is an excellent piece of music, one of my favorite actually out of 100s of CD I own. Its style is difficult to pin in any well defined category, not really rock, not really jazz, no really blues and all of the above at the same time. But what's extraordinary about it is that even though it is probably 20 years old, that music could have been composed today or probably tomorrow as well. There is something powerfully universal about it. Definitely a strong mood music for the night, even better, for driving long hours into the night.

My wife and I had the opportunity to indulge the entire album on a recent road trip. She is more the country and folk fan; I am more the rock, jazz, fusion fan. Yet we both listened in silence and agreed it is a coherent, moving album that we will enjoy again.

'Daytona' and 'Texas' are my favorites. 'Daytona' is a love song to an emotion. It says as well as any song I've heard what speed and fine machinery stir in us - an emotion that is hard to speak, but that we all share. "Twelve wild horses, in silver chains ... you please me like no other". And if the song 'The Road to Hell' doesn't raise goosebumps and the hair on the back of your neck, you should consider whether you're still alive.

This album lives in our top 20 CDs box.

I heard this while in a jet-lagged fog on a trip back from Portland to Washington, DC. Vlad, my driver, popped the tape into the car radio as we splashed through the early morning Portland rain on the way to the airport (perfect weather for this album). Chris Rea (Vlad pronounced it "REE") managed to cut through my Starbucks-resistant fog and make me wake up enough to ask Vlad for the tape box. What a voice. What a guitar! I'll be filling a few more slots in my CD shelves, thanks to Vlad. Incidently, Vlad said he discovered Chris while in a cab in New York. Sounds like Rea's people should issue his tapes to mass transit offices across the US.

These professional reviews have little merit with me, I prefer the reviews of the average music fan. This CD is interesting and very likable. That is, I would enjoy listening to it over the years. This CD came out many years ago and the music is not dated. The lyrics are still relevant today. This CD has sparked my interest in Chris Rea music.

If You don't own this CD -buy it..the road to hell is a awesome piece of music--its one of my favorite songs--i recently ran across a CD single of it in a pawn shop that has 3 versions of he classic on it---its a keeper .if you ever see the single --grab it... now lets hope they someday re -release-----Whatever happened to benni santini?