My song today is ‘Auberge’. This is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea and was released in 1991 as the lead single from his eleventh studio album ‘Auberge’. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. ‘Auberge’ reached Number 16 in the United Kingdom and remained on the ‘UK Singles Chart’ for six weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Nigel Dick and was shot at Bray Studios in Berkshire.
Upon release, ‘Music & Media’ wrote: "Rea at his best: the perfect combination of Dire Straits-framed vocals and Ry Cooder-styled slide guitar. The type of song to play loud during driving. Traffic will be much nicer the next weeks’. Billboard was to describe the song as being a "dreamy blues-induced rocker, with dark, Morrison-esque vocal delivery, rockabilly guitar backdrop, psychedelic organ vibes and light-hearted horn riffs".
In a review of the album of the same name, Johnny Loftus of ‘All Music’ wrote: "The rousing title track and its accompanying set-piece ‘Set Me Free’ move from searching, tentative guitar noodlings into full-blown epics, with the bluesy bottom end, blustering horns, backup singers, and Rea's own grainy vocal rumble."
I understand the song title, ‘Auberge’ to be a French inn or hostelry.
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There is little I can add to this song which ties in with my own background. I only heard the song recently for the very first time, but I was simply blown away by the vibrant beat. I fell in love with Chris Rea when I was first introduced to his seasonal song ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ many years ago. It was only recently, however, since I started the daily singing practice that I decided to look up other songs he has recorded. I was amazed at what I found. While many of his songs have few words in them to sing, the musical and guitar playing is simply out of this world. Many of his later songs have lengthy musical openings, followed by musical interludes and concluding by extremely long musical playouts. It is as though his singing is merely a vehicle/devise to showcase his guitar playing, rather than the other way around.
There is a familiarity with all of Chris Rea’s records that seem to be ideal for the drivers of any vehicle on the open road. In fact, he seems to have merely extended his ‘open road theme’ ever since he made it big with ‘Driving Home for Christmas’. I love his songs and music.
Love and peace Bill xxx