Simplified

Performer: Simply Red
Engineer: Andy Scade; Gavin Goldberg; Michael Zimmerling; Andy Scade
Producer: Mark Jaimes; Andy Wright; Danny Saxon
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Simply Red: Mick Hucknall (vocals); Dave Clayton, Gota Yashiki, Sarah Brown, Simon Hale, Anthea Clarke. Audio Mixer: Johnny Wow. Recording information: Metropolis Studios (2005). Photographers: Hugh Turvey; Hamish Brown. The UK pop/soul act Simply Red maintained a fairly low profile in the United States during the first few years of the 21st century, but that changed with the 2005 release of SIMPLIFIED. Issued on the Verve Forecast imprint, the album presents vocalist Mick Hucknall and company easing into new arrangements of their most well-known songs, including "Holding Back the Years," which gets a gentle, flamenco-inflected rendition. Hucknall's distinctive voice is in fine form here, and though the red-haired frontman unveils a more subdued approach on some tunes, he showcases his passionate singing on a number of tracks, most notably the previously unreleased single "Perfect Love," which coasts along on Cuban-influenced rhythms and a celebratory Santana-like vibe.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Re-done with stealthy jazz arrangements, 'Your Mirror' and 'Fairground' sound sensuous and tender..."

Led by vocalist Mick Hucknall, neo-soul act Simply Red became one of the U.K.'s best-selling artists during the 1980s and '90s. As students of classic soul, Simply Red collaborated with legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier and released a popular cover of Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes' Philly-soul classic "If You Don't Know Me By Now." While perhaps not the saviors of the form, Simply Red's approach is marked by both a reverence for soul music's past and a crisp sound that's very much their own.

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