Double vinyl LP pressing. The Very Best of Chris Rea is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, originally released in 2001. Chris Rea is known for his distinctive, husky-gravel voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10. Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990. In America, he is best known for the 1978 hit song "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" that reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. This success earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1979.