Review For Blues Review Tx, USA
Posted: 24 Apr 2008, 19:43
From Willy and the Poor Boys to Rea and Rich Boys!
Oxford displays the current definition of artist as:
">>A learned person; a person who creates art
>>A follower of a pursuit in which skill comes by study or practice and one who makes their craft a fine art "
This definition really translates to "Artists" vs. "Legends". Artists include those who have learned the art of compilation and layering rather than first hand creation. While these artists may be good at their 'craft' and may earn substantial profits it is rare they will ever get defined as a LEGEND. Artists, and their fans, measure their success by the number of times their song is downloaded and the frequency of play it gets on MTV. Artists tend to give away all of themselves, their values, morals and all the tricks up their sleeves as fast as possible and then die a miserable empty death. Legends hone their skills and look for ways to bring something new to the market rather than bleeding the current trendy cash cow by making a tweak or two to what's been done a 100 times before. Legends pay tribute to their roots. Legends LOVE their instruments. Legends honor their heroes and prove that is is still cool to have heroes! A legends' music is richly infused with references that are not always made for the sake of the audience but more for the feeding of their artistic sole. Legends evolve but never loose who they really are at their roots. Legends never give all their cards away because they are still finding them. Legends die in glory and become the next generation of heroes. Perhaps Oxford needs to update it's definitions!
Chris Rea may have started as an artist back in the 70's and many still tag him with his payday hits of Fool and Road to Hell but the time has come to judge him on his ENTIRE journey and his bold body of work. His work in the last 5 years has been nothing short of legendary. He has managed to single handedly cut a path through a deadening industry and create a buzz that reminds me of the early days of CCR, Santana, Robin Ford and other legendary artists. There is a grass roots feel to his compilations and an emphasis on show casing instruments, eras, styles and methods. To hell with making it mainstream, pop or commercial. This is real music - music for those who want to put on a records and sit back with a glass of wine and a cigarette and marvel at the sounds. And God Bless his return to vinyl! Oh the smell and feel of an actual album!
To carve out a piece of the market place as Mr Rea has done and to package it as something new and exciting it an amazing feat. His latest works are tributes to the best of the old, packaged with the best of the new! The art work is staggeringly well thought out, captivating and story telling. It tells the story of not just one man's journey from hell and back but those who paved the road to the BLUES via their own roads to hell. Chris Rea has thrown back in the faces of those who doubted that anything not mass produced could be successful and that anything educational could be viewed as art (Yes I did say Educational! Blue Guitars should be required in all music schools). He has proven an industry wrong and done so with class and skill. If you want to learn the history of the blues - look no further than this man's work. The question remains - how could one man, coming back from the brink of death see this so clearly when no one else could? The answer possibly is that Chris stopped worrying about earning long enough to listen to his yearning. He also had the foresight to trust that others also had the same craving for this type of product! Obviously the entertainment executives need new antennas because they are missing the musical revolution that is hiding under the mountains of cheap dollars made from fast-food type music. Chris Rea has proven than a dollar earned by bearing your sole and honoring your heroes is better than five dollars earned by selling your sole!
If you have not purchased Stoney Road, Blue Jukebox, Blue Guitars or The Return of the Hofner Blue Notes you simply must do so. There is no greater musical investment for your dollar these days. You are buying history in the making and the work of a TRUE LEGEND! And it's just [EDIT: Please don't use this word] good music! Well done Chris Rea!
Oxford displays the current definition of artist as:
">>A learned person; a person who creates art
>>A follower of a pursuit in which skill comes by study or practice and one who makes their craft a fine art "
This definition really translates to "Artists" vs. "Legends". Artists include those who have learned the art of compilation and layering rather than first hand creation. While these artists may be good at their 'craft' and may earn substantial profits it is rare they will ever get defined as a LEGEND. Artists, and their fans, measure their success by the number of times their song is downloaded and the frequency of play it gets on MTV. Artists tend to give away all of themselves, their values, morals and all the tricks up their sleeves as fast as possible and then die a miserable empty death. Legends hone their skills and look for ways to bring something new to the market rather than bleeding the current trendy cash cow by making a tweak or two to what's been done a 100 times before. Legends pay tribute to their roots. Legends LOVE their instruments. Legends honor their heroes and prove that is is still cool to have heroes! A legends' music is richly infused with references that are not always made for the sake of the audience but more for the feeding of their artistic sole. Legends evolve but never loose who they really are at their roots. Legends never give all their cards away because they are still finding them. Legends die in glory and become the next generation of heroes. Perhaps Oxford needs to update it's definitions!
Chris Rea may have started as an artist back in the 70's and many still tag him with his payday hits of Fool and Road to Hell but the time has come to judge him on his ENTIRE journey and his bold body of work. His work in the last 5 years has been nothing short of legendary. He has managed to single handedly cut a path through a deadening industry and create a buzz that reminds me of the early days of CCR, Santana, Robin Ford and other legendary artists. There is a grass roots feel to his compilations and an emphasis on show casing instruments, eras, styles and methods. To hell with making it mainstream, pop or commercial. This is real music - music for those who want to put on a records and sit back with a glass of wine and a cigarette and marvel at the sounds. And God Bless his return to vinyl! Oh the smell and feel of an actual album!
To carve out a piece of the market place as Mr Rea has done and to package it as something new and exciting it an amazing feat. His latest works are tributes to the best of the old, packaged with the best of the new! The art work is staggeringly well thought out, captivating and story telling. It tells the story of not just one man's journey from hell and back but those who paved the road to the BLUES via their own roads to hell. Chris Rea has thrown back in the faces of those who doubted that anything not mass produced could be successful and that anything educational could be viewed as art (Yes I did say Educational! Blue Guitars should be required in all music schools). He has proven an industry wrong and done so with class and skill. If you want to learn the history of the blues - look no further than this man's work. The question remains - how could one man, coming back from the brink of death see this so clearly when no one else could? The answer possibly is that Chris stopped worrying about earning long enough to listen to his yearning. He also had the foresight to trust that others also had the same craving for this type of product! Obviously the entertainment executives need new antennas because they are missing the musical revolution that is hiding under the mountains of cheap dollars made from fast-food type music. Chris Rea has proven than a dollar earned by bearing your sole and honoring your heroes is better than five dollars earned by selling your sole!
If you have not purchased Stoney Road, Blue Jukebox, Blue Guitars or The Return of the Hofner Blue Notes you simply must do so. There is no greater musical investment for your dollar these days. You are buying history in the making and the work of a TRUE LEGEND! And it's just [EDIT: Please don't use this word] good music! Well done Chris Rea!