The Blue Cafe

The Blue Cafe is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1998. The singles released for the album were "The Blue Cafe", "Thinking of You", "Sweet Summer Day" and "Square Peg, Round Hole". There was also a Japanese version with three bonus tracks, "Kyoto Blue", "Ameno Nakano Kiirono Herumetto" and "On the Beach". It was Rea's sixth successive album to reach the UK top ten, peaking at No. 10.

Critical reception
The Irish Times noted the "menacing atmosphere" evident on the album, "rooted mostly in Rea's sandpaper voice. And the twisted blues lines he plays on guitar". "Shadows of the Big Man" is "focused, multifaceted...But best of all is the title song, The Blue Cafe. An album that is bound to be a pure delight for fans of the man."

Track listing
All songs by Chris Rea.
 * 1) "Square Peg, Round Hole" – 3:58
 * 2) "Miss Your Kiss" – 4:05
 * 3) "Shadows of the Big Man" – 4:49
 * 4) "Where Do We Go from Here?" – 4:32
 * 5) "Since I Found You" – 4:37
 * 6) "Thinking of You" – 3:31
 * 7) "As Long as I Have Your Love" – 4:44
 * 8) "Anyone Quite Like You" – 4:49
 * 9) "Sweet Summer Day" – 4:45
 * 10) "Stick by You" – 4:05
 * 11) "I'm Still Holding On" – 4:55
 * 12) "The Blue Cafe" – 4:49

Japanese bonus tracks
 * 1) "Kyoto Blue" – 4:44
 * 2) "Ameno Nakano Kiirono Herumetto" – 4:12
 * 3) "On the Beach" – 5:03

Musicians

 * Chris Rea – vocals, guitars
 * Max Middleton – keyboards
 * Sylvin Marc – bass
 * Martin Ditcham – drums, percussion

Production

 * Chris Rea – producer
 * Frédéric Blanc-Garin – engineer
 * Ian Cooper – mastering
 * Tommy Willis – guitar and amplifier technician
 * John Carver – art direction
 * Insect – design, artwork
 * Brian R. Brown – photography
 * Terry O'Neill – cover photography