I don’t buy much pop music these days – although I really do love music. That’s partly because I already have a fantastic collection ( more than I could play over months of playing different music every day) and partly because I don’t very often feel like spending my hard earned cash on today’s throw-away albums. Mostly I listen to classical music and jazz. Most of today’s modern pop music just doesn’t grab me. There are exceptions of course – for instance I love Amy Winehouse’s  music (although I do wish the poor girl would sort herself out before she ruins her life and her career!) – her Back to Black album is superb. Listen to it here if you’re in the USA (My fave track: Rehab). Or if you’re in the UK, here.

However, I’ve been a fan of Simply Red ever since the band formed. Mick Hucknall  has an exceptional and unique voice and from the very first time I heard it I was hooked. I’ve got every album he’s ever released (including a few “specials” and DVDs) – so I was delighted to hear that he has a new album out tomorrow. I shall be hot footing it to nearest music store to buy a copy of: Tribute to Bobby. Listen to what got me hooked originally, way back in the 1980s, below:

On this new album, for the very first time, Mick Hucknall steps away from Simply Red with this first solo project which is a collection of soul classics originally recorded by the legendary American singer, Bobby Bland (who released a lot of material in the 50’s and 60’s and apparently had a big influence on a young Hucknall) Tribute to Bobby is a twelve track master class in soul, blues and R&B as well as being a tribute to one of Hucknall’s most important inspirations and musical idols. Preview it here.

Mick said about Bobby: “His music has this sophistication to it, a jazz tinge. There’s also the darkness of his lyrics – Bobby sings with a really twisted pain and sorrow. He’s one of the vocalists who influenced my singing style long before I became a slave to pop success.”
The new album is produced by Mick’s long time collaborator Andy Wright, and is characterised by Hucknall’s striking emotional honesty, musical sincerity and his utterly unique voice. He Embraces the spirit of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland. One of many standout tracks on the album is Stormy Monday Blues, a thriving journey into the world of jazz and blues. Other highlights on the album are many and include the first single Poverty and Cry Cry Cry,  a raw and soulful track that fits Hucknall perfectly. Alongside I’ll Take Care Of You, I Pity The Fool, and the stellar Farther Up The Road means the album is consistently rewarding and hugely addictive.

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Hucknall’s passion and respect for the project is unquestioned: “I’m doing this album for myself, it’s my own personal odyssey. I feel more at home here. This is the beginning for me, I hope my old fans come along, and I hope we can make some new friends with it too.”