Nice to listen to, but a little airy-fairy
P. J. Golda | Luxembourg | 06/12/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is an album that very much rides on past successes, Mick Hucknall's voice, and absolutely fantastic production. Unfortunately that's about it - the lyrical genius of past albums hardly makes an appearance here, and most songs are airy-fairy love songs. The cover of "The Air That I Breathe" is good for what it is, but is not comparable with many better renditions. The only song I really love off this album is "Night Nurse" (a cover). As mentioned, the saving grace of this album is the best production I have heard in ages - the sound has depth and width and almost comes out to get you. Overall, a good effort, but not in the same league as Simply Red's other works.If you are new to Simply Red, an 80's and 90's pop band, you may want to check out their "Best Of" compilation first and make your move from there."
Blue: yet another great album from Simply Red
P. J. Golda | 06/03/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
" The solo artist cleverly disguised as a band has done it again. Blue is a great mix of Mick Hucknall's new up-tempo and slow and sweet songs, with several cover versions slipped in.
The album starts off with Mellow My Mind, a cover of Neil Young's bland song, but recorded with much more feeling and better mixing than the original version.
The next track is Blue, the title track, one of Mick's best songs, so far. The lyrics are corny, but the melody and beat is addictive. I just had to listen to this song over and over again. The people around me got annoyed.
The British hit, Say You Love Me, is the next track. It's sentimental, but very modern. Some of the lyrics in the song are quite corny, ("Stay and hug me, all around the world...") but very suitable.
The next song is odd, yet terrific. To Be Free sounds like another one of Mick's political songs. The first lyric is confusing, ("To be free, or to feel free, the first one is a myth. For to be is to feel, and to be real is to see.") but very deep. ;) I got hooked on this song very quickly.
The second cover on this album is The Air That I Breathe. I liked the original version of this song, but somehow the Simply Red version was made even better. Mick should stick to doing covers like these.
Someday In My Life sounds like one of those showtunes your parents liked to sing in the shower. Suprisingly, it's an original Mick Hucknall song. It shows how yet again, Mick can take different styles of music and make his sound very similar, but refreshingly different. This song is probably one of the most sentimental and slow songs on this album. It's a new classic.
The reprise for The Air That I Breathe, the next track, is great. William Turpin and Stevie J cleverly swiched around the lyrics for a great effect. The way they squeezed in the sample from John Mellenchamp's Jack and Diane is almost remarkable. (I am starting to sound really corny.)
Nig! ht Nurse is the third cover on this album. It's another one of Mick's attempts to immitate reggae. (Remember Hillside Avenue?) It's not the kind of song Mick does best, but it's a great attempt, and it's a track worth listening to.
My favorite song on this album is Broken Man. It's another wonderful Mick Hucknall original. The lyrics are very sad, but the music is very uptempo and happy, quite ironic. Maybe this song was written to express the sorrow of Mick's social life.
Come Get Me Angel sounds like a reprise of the song Angel, from Simply Red's greatest hits album. It's very catchy, and Mick's singing in this song is impressive.
As a cover, Ghetto Girl is very much like Night Nurse. Bland, but it's a nice track to listen to after a hard day's work.
Love Has Said Goodbye Again is a great original song. It starts off with a great piano solo. This song reminds me of We're In This Together. It's very inspiring. It shows optimism after breaking up with someone. It progresses very well, like a Neil Diamond song, but unmistakingly Simply Red.
High Fives is much like Someday In My Life, because it's very sentimental and showtuney. (Ah! A new word!) The lyrics in this song are clever and catchy. This song feels like being in a small boat that goes over small tides once in a while. It's like you're swimming out of Blue, another album Mick Hucknall should be proud of."
Mellow My Mind
Dakota | Illinois, USA | 07/14/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I truly enjoy this CD, the first one I bought from Simply Red. When I heard 'The Air That I Breathe' on the radio I bought it on a lark. What a lucky gem I found. This CD is great to listen to on a relaxing drive... It is a short CD however, could have maybe added a few songs. But otherwise, it's some cool, mellow music to chill out too. Enjoy!"
