Greatest Hits

Performer: Simply Red
Artist: Fugees; Bootsy Collins; Sly Dunbar; Robbie Shakespeare
Engineer: Daren Klein; Femi Jiya; Roland Herrington; Barry Mraz; Jake Davies
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Simply Red includes: Mick Hucknall (vocals). Additional personnel includes: Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Bootsy Collins, Lenny Castro, The Fugees. Producers include: Simply Red, Mick Hucknall, Stewart Levine, Alex Sadkin. Recorded between 1987 and 1995. This career-spanning set includes Simply Red's two No. 1 hits, "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "Holding Back The Years," along with lesser-known selections from the band's admirable catalog of soulful pop music. Simply Red's songs are well-executed and emotive, with structures softly resting upon a foundation of jazz, reggae and soul. Mick Hucknell's rich, spirited vocals, reminiscent of Otis Redding, hold the pieces together. Over the years, Simply Red has had instrumental assistance from the likes of reggae tricksters Sly & Robbie and funkmeister Bootsy Collins. Such collaborations have led to easygoing songs held up by sharp musicianship. GREATEST HITS provides example after example of classic pop form. Personnel: Dee Johnson, Janette Sewell, Sarah Brown, Stephanie Spruill (vocals, background vocals); Mick Hucknall (vocals). Audio Mixers: Chris Dickie; Daren Klein; Femi Jiya; Alex Sadkin; Roland Herrington; Simply Red; Barry Mraz. Audio Remixers: Femi Jiya; Roland Herrington. Liner Note Author: Mick Hucknall. Recording information: Air Studios, Montserrat; Condulmer Recording Studio, Venice, Italy; Planet 4 Studios, Manchester, England. Photographer: Zanna. Best of Simply Red: Holding Back the Years 1985-1997 contains all of Simply Red's biggest British and American hits, including "Holding Back the Years," "If You Don't Know Me By Now," and "Something Got Me Started." In addition to the well-known singles, there are two new tracks added to the collection, including "Angel," a duet with the Fugees. Simply Red always worked better on singles than albums, making this single-disc compilation an excellent introduction. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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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