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Colt1861Navy

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Re: Colt1861Navy post# 830

Tuesday, 07/09/2002 6:39:53 PM

Tuesday, July 09, 2002 6:39:53 PM

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Rock 'n' Roll Artists A-Z...Simply Red

http://www.simplyred.co.uk/

With an irresistible new single, "Ain’t That a Lot Of Love" heralding the imminent release of the band’s seventh studio album, Simply Red are ready to add a new chapter to one of the most consistent success stories in pop. "Every time I sit down to talk about a new project, I am able to say hand-on-heart that I’ve given the best I could at a particular time," says the band’s driving force, singer and writer Mick Hucknall. "But I really feel that I’ve reached a peak with this one." The album, Love and the Russian Winter, is the band at its best, doing what it does best — incorporating a variety of musical styles, influences and moods into the singular, wholly unmistakable and entirely original sound that is Simply Red.

Says Mick of that sound "It’s very pluralist, in the same way that my life is. I don’t like just one type of food. I don’t like just one kind of music. But we do only get just one shot at living in this amazing world, and it’s up to each and every one of us to get out there and taste as much of it as we can. That’s the spirit that goes into our records. My hope is that they take the listener to a lot of different places."

In an era when some artists allow years to pass between each release, Love and the Russian Winter comes relatively hot on the heels of its predecessor, 1998’s acclaimed Blue. And the reason for that, reveals Mick, is that he has found himself on a creative roll with its producers and his long-time collaborators, Andy Wright and Gota Yashiki. "It’s been wonderful for me to find two people I so trust and have confidence in. And when someone knows you feel that way about them, it inspires them towards the very best contribution that they can make. That made it a fantastic working triumvirate. Add to that the synergy of a great band which is totally committed to the music and brings a constant flow of new ideas to it, and you can see why I’m feeling so positive."

With its songwriting process developed seamlessly out of that for Blue, the new album combines the personal and specific ("Words for Girlfriends", " Thank You", and "Your Eyes" among them) with themes that are public and universal ("Man Made the Gun", "The Sky Is A Gypsy", "Back Into The Universe"). And as the title of the closing track, "Wave The Old World" suggests, a definite millennium mood prevails throughout. "I suspect that what was on my mind at the time of writing these songs is pretty much what’s been on everyone’s" says Mick. "We’re coming to the end of 2000 years. Naturally, you look back and assess what has gone before and your part in it. But also you look to the future, and out into the universe. All of these billions of us little guys, wondering how we relate to the bigger picture."

And the album’s intriguing title? "The love element of it is self explanatory," he offers. "It’s what drives and inspires us all throughout our lifetimes — and not just the poets and songwriters among us. Hope springs eternal, and thank goodness for that. If it didn’t we’d all be rushing off cliffs like lemmings. And the Russian winter element comes from my thinking of how something very harsh has actually been a savior to us more than once over the course of those 2000 years. Ironically, it’s what protected the world from Alexander the Great, from Napoleon and from Hitler. Imagine if any of them had won out… Think how different the world might be now."

The stylish breadth and sheer accomplishment of Love and Russian Winter will confound those who would put Simply Red in the box marked blue-eyed soul. "That is just lazy thinking, to my mind," says Mick. "Yes, American R&B has been a huge influence on my music, but jazz and reggae and even rock are certainly there in the mix too. I’m very much of that British tradition that started with the Rolling Stones, and whereby black American traditions are filtered into something that is original in itself and not at all derivative. Having a good, strong voice helps in that process too, of course. People might love me or loathe me, but I think everyone knows what I sound like."

The album, to be supported early in the new year by a world tour, brings up to date a musical history which began in Manchester in the early 1980’s. It was while an art student in his home city that Mick formed the punkish Frantic Elevators. On their disbandment, he then put together the earliest incarnation of Simply Red, signing to Elektra and releasing a fine debut LP, 1985’s Picture Book, which included the classic singles "Money’s Too tight (Too Mention) " and "Holding Back The Years", a track which gave the group its first U.S. No. 1. In the intervening years, a string of critically acclaimed and commercially highly successful albums have followed — Men And Women (1987), A New Flame (1989), Stars (1991), Life (1995), and Blue (1998), which have sold more than 43 million copies. Particular career highlights to date have included the exceptional success of Stars, the most successful British album of both 1991 and 1992: a second American chart-topper with 1989’s inspired cover of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes "If You Don’t Know Me By Now", and a first UK No. 1 with 1995’s "Fairground."

Discography

http://www.simplyred.co.uk/discography/discography.html

Band Members

http://www.simplyred.co.uk/musicians/musicians.html

Photo Gallery

http://www.simplyred.co.uk/gallery/gallery.html



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