Chris de Burgh's storytelling prowess comes into fruition on Spanish Train and Other Stories as he carefully grasps the listener's attention with his soft-spoken candor. With songs that are reminiscent of tales told to a young child by his bedside, de Burgh captivates his audience with his serene anecdotes that are enhanced by the music that envelops him. The opening "Spanish Train" is a mysterious yarn about a poker game between God and the Devil, where the victor inherits the soul of a dying train engineer. de Burgh's vocal escalation from serene to flamboyant makes this one of his best songs, as does the marvelous twist at the end of the story. "A Spaceman Came Travelling" has de Burgh blanketing his wispy voice in a tale about the birth of Jesus, only his version substitutes the Star of Bethlehem for an alien visitor who has arrived to reveal a startling message…

On Chris de Burgh's debut album, his gentle, beguiling vocal style is introduced, which instantly trademarks him as a genuine master of the soft ballad. de Burgh's engaging dominance of words and lyrics carries both his love songs and his simple light rock tunes to a higher level, thanks to the attention and care given to each of his pieces. As an inaugural album, the songs hold well as they are delicately cushioned by his voice, but are substantially thin where melody or appealing choruses are concerned. Both "Windy Night" and "Watching the World" draw the most attention, bringing de Burgh's silkiness to the focal point. "Satin Green Shutters" beautifully illustrates his knack for sounding sincere and charismatic within the boundaries of a love song…

Beautiful Dreams holds interest mainly because Chris de Burgh is backed by a full orchestra, which adds brilliant depth to his material, presenting his romantically based ballads in an entirely new fashion. While the strings and woodwinds that accompany de Burgh showcase their splendor on "Say Goodbye to It All" and "Snows of New York" better than any other of the album's 13 tracks, there is still a certain posh grandeur that is carried on all of them, which is bolstered by the band's luxurious sound. "Missing You" and "In Love Forever" gain illustriousness through the lavish backdrop of violins, which ease in to de Burgh's graceful lyrics, and the familiar "Lady in Red" sounds full-bodied and even more enchanting with a thicker curtain of instruments behind it.

The Getaway gave Chris de Burgh his first charted single with "Don't Pay the Ferryman," which peaked at number 34 in 1983. A feverishly fast-paced tune, it contained vibrant keyboards and had de Burgh powerfully barking out the chorus in one of his most intense offerings. As his most spirited single up to that point, it proved that he could easily dish out a charging rock song that still harbored his enchanting brand of lyrics and mystery. Other songs carry this surging flow as well, like the flighty tempo of "The Getaway," kept together by its pop/rock stride, or the determination aching from de Burgh's voice throughout "Ship to Shore," which proves he can muster up some energy with barely any effort.

At the End of a Perfect Day is a title that is all too apropos, since the music that fills the album is comprised of mellow ballads that are both relaxing and serene. The songs are typical of his soothing style, sung in de Burgh's suave demeanor making their simplistic makeup sound that much better. Without the narrative allure found in Spanish Train, de Burgh uses his haunting voice to enhance these average-sounding pieces, resulting in only a couple of mediocre standouts. The charming "Broken Wings has de Burgh's lonely voice fluttering amidst lyrics about his lost love. While the words may seem a little honeyed, his sedating air throughout the song's entirety is front and center.

On Chris de Burgh's debut album, his gentle, beguiling vocal style is introduced, which instantly trademarks him as a genuine master of the soft ballad. de Burgh's engaging dominance of words and lyrics carries both his love songs and his simple light rock tunes to a higher level, thanks to the attention and care given to each of his pieces. As an inaugural album, the songs hold well as they are delicately cushioned by his voice, but are substantially thin where melody or appealing choruses are concerned. Both "Windy Night" and "Watching the World" draw the most attention, bringing de Burgh's silkiness to the focal point.

Once again combining softened elegance with his gentlemanly approach to the simple love song, Chris de Burgh remains true to form on Quiet Revolution with polished ballads and morning-friendly, mid-tempo material. de Burgh's style hasn't strayed since "The Lady in Red" peaked at number three in 1987, and from that point on he has tried to emulate the same success with his romantic formula of ballroom-type love songs and delicate lyrics. Although Quiet Revolution offers up a handful of these, some of the other tracks exhibit punchy melodies that still display de Burgh's heartfelt voice.

The pop/rock power pent up in "High on Emotion" established the fact that Chris de Burgh could be just as energetic as he could be romantic. Its explosive chorus followed by some dynamic electric guitar riffs highlighted 1984's Man on the Line, making a rocker out of the usually complacent balladeer. Following suit, only with a little less vigor, is the title track that sparks a little bit of dramatic anger in de Burgh's voice. He hasn't left his mellifluous candor behind completely, though, but his slower pieces do seem to be a tad more hearty. "Sound of a Gun" deals with a civilian's outlook of living in a war-torn country, which has de Burgh singing in whispers at one point.

Chris de Burgh is a British-Irish singer-songwriter and instrumentalist. He started out as an art rock performer but subsequently started writing more pop-oriented material. He has had several top 40 hits in the UK and two in the US, but he is more popular in other countries, particularly Norway and Brazil. His 1986 love song "The Lady in Red" reached number one in several countries. De Burgh has sold over 45 million albums worldwide. This Way Up is singer Chris de Burgh's eleventh original album, released in 1994.

Covering all of his crucial eighties material, Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh offers up most of this songwriter's best work, while also including a few of his better pieces from early in his career. The decade took apt notice of de Burgh, giving him two Top 40 hits on Billboard with "Don't Pay the Ferryman" in 1983 and the hugely successful "Lady in Red" in 1987, which are both included on this set. Three of his most delightful narratives from the '70s show up here as well, with "Spanish Train," "A Spaceman Came Travelling," and "Patricia the Stripper," all from the highly regarded Spanish Train and Other Stories album.

Into the Light contains Chris de Burgh's highest-charting single with the ballroom elegance of "Lady in Red," peaking at number three in 1987 and remaining on the Billboard charts for 14 weeks. This song, with its sweeping romantic tempo and classy feel, is reminiscent of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" as de Burgh's sincere flattery for his lover is exquisitely sung…

Covering all of his crucial eighties material, Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh offers up most of this songwriter's best work, while also including a few of his better pieces from early in his career…

There really isn't any grandeur or magnificence tacked on to 1988's Flying Colours album, but that doesn't mean the songs themselves aren't without some worthiness. The album's atmosphere blends mild rock tunes with slower songs that rely on their demure appeal, helped by de Burgh's conservative musical style…