Simply Red tries something new
"Do it in a way where the melody is strong enough to be able to sing without the music. If you can whistle the tune without the dressing, that'll be a nice tune," says frontman Mick Hucknall of British band Simply Red.
And nice tunes are what they create. The band that has brought us hits over the past decade including "Holding Back the Years" (1985) and "If You Don't Know Me by Now" (1988) has recently released their newest album, Life . The long-awaited follow-up to their 1991 album, Stars , featuring the title-track hit, Life is as profound as its predecessor.
On the new disc, Simply Red again produces its unique blend of pop, jazz, R&B and reggae that brought them popularity on their other albums. However, the musical mastery in Life matches, if not surpasses, that in Stars , which sold 9 million copies. On the album, the band works with the London Metropolitan Orchestra to produce songs that provide a "universal, yet individual" insight into ... Life . The result is a wonderful, smooth sound that one can frequently hear over meals at Chili's or Fuddrucker's.
The current (and first) single from the disc, "Fairground," is strikingly different from their previous sound, yet the vocals remind you that this is Simply Red. "Fairground" is an innovative, futuristic jazz/pop song inspired by a popular fairground outside of Milan. Lead vocalist Mick Hucknall comments, "It attempts to capture the atmosphere of being 17 or 18."
Other notable tracks include the reggae "Never Never Love," which poses the powerful question, "So now we've got our independence, what are we gonna do with it?" The soulful closing track, "We're in This Together," uses the talents of the Umoja Singers Chorale to emphasize the theme of world unity.
After the big success of Stars , Hucknall on the Simply Red homepage says that he "didn't do anything for the rest of the year except live," which no doubt provided inspiration for Life . When asked how to follow up an album of such big success, he responded, "Following it? For some weird reason, it's never been a problem to me. I never thought about it. It's like saying how do you live the next day of your life? You just get on and do it, don't you?"
Life proves that there is still music today that is art and teaches a lesson. Simply Red is currently touring Europe and may perform in the United States following the conclusion of their set dates.
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