[1][2] The Blue Guitars album, packaged as a box set in the style of an earbook,[1] consists of eleven CDs, one DVD and a full colour book, including paintings by the artist, liner notes and song lyrics.

[11] Several live exhibitions of the album's artwork paintings were held, like in October 2005 at The Cork Street Gallery, Central London, England,[1] and Spazio Oikos, Milan, Italy.

[12] He also expressed concern about the digitalization of modern generations whose musical perception lacks the attitude for making the record listening a specific enjoyable experience.

But also themes of movement ("Steam Train Blues") and the faith in God and religion ("If You've Got a Friend in Jesus") were made topics in the songs, as well as the occasional search for some recreation and a good time ("Dance All Night Long").

The basics for directions like jazz, swing and even rock & roll were laid during this time and a distinctive, instantly recognizable sound was created, which would imminently be associated with the Blues.

It was a tremendous change in the way, the Blues could be approached, fine and subtle figures and fine chord structures could suddenly be played, the Blues was rising to previously unbeknown heights: "Now I can play above the bar noise, Man I'm bigger than a crowd" as Rea states in the opener "Electric Guitar", which paraphrases what musicians must have felt after this milestone revolution.

Once again, the lyric themes shifted away from known territory and began to reflect the changed situation, drugs, alcohol, sex, women, money gained major importance, life in wintry ghettos and anonymous housing schemes contributed its share.

Track listing With the incorporation of the piano and other new elements, such as swing and jazz, according to Chris Rea a somehow "sleepy morphine-induced style" came to be Blues Ballads.

The 75-minute DVD might be especially interesting to those who own the album; there are many interviews with Rea and the Band, a lot of footage from the writing and the recording sessions and a thorough depiction of the process of making an idea become reality.