Chris de Burgh

Worshipped all around the world — but notably in Norway, Brazil, Ireland, and Iran — rockin' singer-songwriter Chris de Burgh truly possesses the people's touch . . . which is probably why Lady Diana, the "people's princess," personally thanked him for writing "The Lady In Red," one of the greatest slow-dance tracks of the '80s, or any decade for that matter. Switching up the tempo, de Burgh also delivered the superb "Don't Pay the Ferryman." De Burgh strides into concept territory, in Next Steps.

Never one to shy from a weighty concept, de Burgh has consistently pushed the limits of the album format to vary the pace and offer an alternative to addictive, perfectly crafted singles like "Ship to Shore." The title track from 1979's [i]Crusader[/i] explores the Middle Eastern campaign of Richard the Lionheart in a fraction shy of nine minutes, while "The Mirror of the Soul" from 2006's [i]The Storyman[/i] takes its cues from 15th-century France. De Burgh flies the flag of peace in Deep Cuts.

Here, among de Burgh's most cultured and exotic tracks, we've included a live version of "Lebanese Night" (immensely popular, as it happens, in Lebanon); the anti-war song "Say Goodbye to It All," supposed to be based on Ernest Hemingway's [i]A Farewell to Arms[/i]; and the affectionate 1986 ballad "For Rosanna," written for daughter Rosanna Davison two years after she was born. If only Chris had placed an ante-post bet on toddler Rosanna to become Miss World in 2003 . . . because that's exactly what she went on to do.

To say that Chris de Burgh's early attempts to hit the big time in the U.K. were inauspicious would be an understatement. Despite joining Supertramp for their [i]Crime of the Century[/i] tour in 1974, he watched all of his first five albums flop before making headway with 1982's [i]The Getaway[/i] (featuring "Don't Pay the Ferryman"). From then on, British fans of supremely polished art-rock started to understand what the rest of the world already knew. Master of narrative, owner of a golden voice, songsmith supreme . . . Chris de Burgh is the complete package.