20年的唱作生涯,克里斯里亚淡然迷醉的蓝调摇滚风,借着18张专辑吹动2000万乐迷的心坎,他的歌声与音符轻柔飞越类型音乐的界限,连位在地中海西部的国际派对之都Ibiza的DJ Jose Padilla(代表专辑计划「Cafe Del Mar」)早在80年代初就开始以为克里斯里亚的歌曲作混音为荣,另一位王牌DJ Paul Oakenfold 将'85年的畅销作&Josephine&衬上动感彩衣,更是Ibiza的舞曲国歌之一,克里斯里亚对于这座对音乐、举止、国籍、性别与年龄都有着两极化态度的城市,也有一点渊源,在摇滚乐团Pink Floyd与导演罗曼波兰斯基叱咤风云的70年代,当时仍在为音乐挣扎的克里斯里亚与艺术学院高材生的妻子Joan来到Ibiza比邻的小岛Formentera,岛上自成一格的生活方式对里亚的音乐唱作产生深远的影响,经过'99年专辑「The Road To Hell Part 2」的电子实验挑战与为电影「La Passione」制作音乐后,2000年发行的专辑【King Of The Beach】就是他重返传统Ibiza无拘束自在空间精神的作品,乐界甚至推举这是他个人近十年的最佳专辑。
万里无云的蔚蓝海岸,克里斯里亚如浪迹天涯的吟唱诗人的歌声,泛起轻柔的叙事民谣情韵,新专辑【King Of The Beach】体现最自然的忘忧情趣,撩起心海最浪漫的迷恋思绪,一篇篇诗意盎然的美丽歌谣翩然地带着感伤与喜悦牵绊的心飘荡到九霄云外,而他那与Eric Clapton、Mark Knofler并驾齐驱的吉他意境自是歌声诗篇里绝佳的感应,在加勒比海Turks与Caicos群岛的创作环境下,蓝调、灵魂乐、福音都在精巧玲珑的编排之中,让情境益加生动且雀跃,经历2000年初的胰脏炎手术,克里斯里亚咸认自己已经蜕变成一个虔诚的佛教徒,涌在心头的情绪多了一份更超然的感觉,从&All Summer Long&、&Still Beautiful&到&Waiting For A Blue Sky&,克里斯里亚感性云游的歌声,乘着乐迷心灵随想的双翼,恣意的奔向天际。
British singer and guitarist Chris Rea has enjoyed a run of popularity in Europe during the late '80s and early '90s after almost a decade of previous recording. Rea started out performing with a local group called Magdalene, taking David Coverdale's place; the band won a national talent contest in 1975 as the Beautiful Losers, but still failed to get a record contract. Rea left the band and recorded the album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, which alluded to a discarded stage name, which went gold on the strength of the U.S. Top 20 hit &Fool (If You Think It's Over).& Rea was not heard from again in the U.S. for some time, concentrating his efforts on his main fan base of Europe. A compilation of tracks from Rea's '80s albums, New Light Through Old Windows, was released in 1988 and sold well in the U.K. and Europe and charted in the U.S. Rea followed it up with the critically acclaimed The Road to Hell, which many regarded as his best album. It and its follow-up, Auberge, went to the top of the U.K. album charts, but did not prove as successful in the U.S., where he has failed to chart with his subsequent releases. He released his most ambitious project in 2005, an eleven-album, 130-track box set of all new material inspired by the blues and his own paintings called Blue Guitars. The fun The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes appeared in 2008.