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Mick Hucknall and Simply Red are rightly inseparable in the minds of most listeners -- he is the frontman and the star, the one constant in the band's history -- but the singer's short-lived solo career of 2008-2012 proved there was a difference between Hucknall and the group. Big Love, the album the reunited Simply Red recorded to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2015, isn't as in thrall to the past as the vocalist's two albums of covers, nor is it as comfortable with rock as 2007's Stay. It is, as the title suggests, a record that is romantic to its very core, an album whose bones are as exquisitely smooth as its surfaces (the loungey tongue-in-cheek saloon song "The Old Man and the Beer" is the exception that proves the rule). Even when the tempo picks up a notch on Big Love -- and it doesn't happen all that often -- the speedier songs come in the form of a slow-burning disco tune, an aesthetic that isn't all that far removed from Simply Red's enduring allegiance to the smoothest sounds of the '70s, specifically Philly soul. At times, the overall veneer is a shade too clean, suggesting nothing so much as cocktail hour at a classy conference, but the fact that Hucknall and Simply Red choose to celebrate the softer, soulful sounds of the '70s by doubling down on the smoothness does separate them from the legions of neo-soul divas in the new millennium. Let those singers scale operatic towers: this lot prefers to take it easy and is charming for it.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer, Backing Vocals - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Ian Kirkham, Saxophone - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Mark Jaimes, Additional Guitar - Danny Saxon, Additional Keyboards - Sam Swallow, Backing Vocals - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Peter-John Vettese, String Arranger - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Ian Kirkham, Saxophone - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Mark Jaimes, Additional Guitar - Danny Saxon, Additional Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Kevin Robinson, Flugelhorn - Peter-John Vettese, String Arranger - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Peter-John Vettese, String Arranger - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Simply Red, MainArtist - Steve Lewinson, Bass Guitar - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Pete Lewinson, Drums, Percussion - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Kevin Robinson, Flugelhorn - Peter-John Vettese, String Arranger - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestral Conductor - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Peter-John Vettese, String Arranger - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Purdy, Backing Vocals - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor - Juan Ayala Valdez, Additional Guitar, Additional Keyboards
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Bass Guitar, Programmer - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lauren Flynn, Backing Vocals - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Peter-John Vettese, String Arranger, Backing Vocals - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Kevin Robinson, Trumpet - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Ian Kirkham, Saxophone - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Kevin Robinson, Trumpet - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Ian Kirkham, Saxophone - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer - Simply Red, MainArtist - Steve Lewinson, Bass Guitar - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Pete Lewinson, Drums - David Sinclair Whitaker, String Arranger - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Andy Wright, Producer, Programmer, Backing Vocals - Simply Red, MainArtist - Mick Hucknall, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer, MixingEngineer - Everton Nelson, Orchestra Leader - Ian Kirkham, Saxophone - Adrian Hall, Audio Recording Engineer, MixingEngineer - Dave Clayton, Keyboards - Mark Jaimes, Additional Guitar - Danny Saxon, Additional Keyboards - Sam Swallow, Backing Vocals - Jack Stevens, Bass Guitar - Gavin Goldberg, Programmer, Audio Recording Engineer - Kenji Suzuki, Guitar - Lewis Chapman, Audio Recording Engineer - Roman Roth, Drums, Percussion - Jim McWilliam, Orchestral Conductor
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
Album review
Mick Hucknall and Simply Red are rightly inseparable in the minds of most listeners -- he is the frontman and the star, the one constant in the band's history -- but the singer's short-lived solo career of 2008-2012 proved there was a difference between Hucknall and the group. Big Love, the album the reunited Simply Red recorded to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2015, isn't as in thrall to the past as the vocalist's two albums of covers, nor is it as comfortable with rock as 2007's Stay. It is, as the title suggests, a record that is romantic to its very core, an album whose bones are as exquisitely smooth as its surfaces (the loungey tongue-in-cheek saloon song "The Old Man and the Beer" is the exception that proves the rule). Even when the tempo picks up a notch on Big Love -- and it doesn't happen all that often -- the speedier songs come in the form of a slow-burning disco tune, an aesthetic that isn't all that far removed from Simply Red's enduring allegiance to the smoothest sounds of the '70s, specifically Philly soul. At times, the overall veneer is a shade too clean, suggesting nothing so much as cocktail hour at a classy conference, but the fact that Hucknall and Simply Red choose to celebrate the softer, soulful sounds of the '70s by doubling down on the smoothness does separate them from the legions of neo-soul divas in the new millennium. Let those singers scale operatic towers: this lot prefers to take it easy and is charming for it.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:46:10
- Main artists: Simply Red
- Label: EastWest U.K.
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited ℗ 2015 Simplyred.com Limited under exclusive license to East West Records, a division of Warner Music UK Limited
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