God's Great Banana Skin - Chris Rea

You can always tell when I have hit writers block. I talk football, current affairs or review an album. I find the latter quite a difficult art, and really admire those who do it well. Chris Rea finished the eighties and started the nineties on a high. The Road To Hell and Auberge were exceptional albums with exceptional sales figures. While not quite as successful commercially, God?s Great Banana Skin shared the same qualities as these two predecessors. If you have never head any Chris Rea material, as well as the shame that should be heaped on to you, I strongly recommend picking up one of his Best Of albums and then moving on to some of this ...  Read the complete review

With a typical low key start to an album it begins with a slow electric guitar played mournfully, then you hear a voice sounding even more half asleep than usual drifting into ‘Nothing To Fear’. God’s Great Banana Skin is another Chris Rea album. Like his other albums the songs begin slowly, and allow plenty of space for Rea’s fluid blues like guitar and his dark-as-a-dungeon vocals. This is many ways is Road to Hell Part 2, as this is the follow up perhaps its not surprising that he – perhaps unconsciously – keeps the same feel and rhythms. The same long lazy guitar so reminiscent of Ry Cooder and the deep ...  Read the complete review

For all Chris Rea fans this is probably preaching to the converted. If you like Chris Rea (and maybe have a few albums) then it is strongly worth considering adding this one. If you don't know who Chris Rea is (on emerging from your cave which has been your home for the last 20 years), then this may be worth a listen too! Following on the heels of previous albums "Road to Hell" and "Auberge" both of which reached the Number 1 UK Album slot, "Gods Great Banana skin" (released in November 1992) didn't quite capture the same enthusiasm with all CR fans, reaching only the number 4 positon. Personally ...  Read the complete review