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    • Source: Blue (Simply Red album)
    • Blue is the sixth studio album by British band Simply Red. It was released by East West Records on 19 May 1998 in the United Kingdom. Initially conceived as a cover album, it features production from lead singer Mick Hucknall as well as Andy Wright, Gota Yashiki, Stevie J, and Joe "Jake" Carter. Hucknall, Wright, and Yashiki are the only musicians featured in the Blue CD booklet's photography; this is a first for a Simply Red album, as all prior albums featured photos of the various band members credited.
      The album includes five cover versions: "Mellow My Mind" from the 1975 Neil Young album Tonight's the Night; two versions of the frequently covered "The Air That I Breathe", written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood; the Gregory Isaacs hit "Night Nurse"; and "Ghetto Girl" by Dennis Brown, from whom the band would cover another song in 2003. New versions of previously recorded Simply Red songs also appear here: "Come Get Me Angel" is a rewritten version of the 1996 single "Angel" (an Aretha Franklin cover), and "Broken Man" was first released as a B-side in 1987. "The Air That I Breathe Reprise" samples "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp. "So Jungiful", found on the Japanese edition of the album, is a jungle remix of "So Beautiful" from the band's previous album, Life.


      Critical reception



      AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that Blue "is weak on original material. However, Mick Hucknall makes up for the deficits by assembling a good collection of outside material [...] Initially, Blue was going to be a covers album, and judging by these numbers [...] it would have been a great, sultry listen. Instead, he's followed through on an album that accentuates his weaknesses as a writer. Granted, he can oversing on occasion, but if Blue does anything, it proves that his voice is his greatest talent and that he should dedicate himself to material that serves it well."


      Track listing



      Notes

      ^a signifies an additional producer


      Personnel


      Simply Red

      Mick Hucknall – lead vocals, backing vocals
      Tim Vine – keyboards
      Andy Wright – programming
      Mark Jaimes – guitars
      Steve Lewinson – bass
      Velroy Bailey – drums
      Gota Yashiki – drums, programming
      Ian Kirkham – saxophones
      John Johnson – trombone
      Sarah Brown – backing vocals
      Dee Johnson – backing vocals
      Additional musicians

      Paul Carrack – keyboards
      Alan Clark – keyboards
      Robbie Lyn – keyboards
      Ned Douglas – programming
      Stephen Hilton – programming
      Aidan Love – programming
      Kenji Jammer – guitar
      Tony Remy – guitar
      Bub Roberts – guitar
      Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis – guitar
      Robbie Shakespeare – bass guitar
      CJ Taylor – bass
      Sly Dunbar – drums
      Geoff Holroyde – drums
      Mike Greenwood – trumpet, flugelhorn
      David Whitaker – orchestra arrangements and conductor
      Pro Arte Orchestra of London – orchestra
      Tru Indeed – backing vocals (7)
      Production

      AGM – album producers
      Stevie J – co-producer (7)
      Roland Herrington – recording
      Femi Jiya – recording
      John Lee – recording, mix engineer
      Alex Marou – recording
      Lynford "Fatta" Marshall – recording
      Dave Tyler – recording
      Ted Wohlson – recording
      Paul Logas – mix engineer, mixing (7)
      Tony Maserati – mix engineer, mixing (7)
      Ali Staton – mix engineer
      Douglas Blair – assistant engineer
      Jake Davies – assistant engineer
      Andrew Dudman – assistant engineer
      Ricky Graham – assistant engineer
      Derek Grey – assistant engineer
      Neil Mason – assistant engineer
      Dave Russell – assistant engineer
      Andy Scade – assistant engineer
      Mak Togashi – assistant engineer
      Mick Hucknall – mixing (1-5, 8-12)
      Andy Wright – mixing (1, 2, 8, 9, 12)
      Gota Yashiki – mixing (1-6, 8-10, 12)
      Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
      Merv Pearson – pre-production programming
      Intro – design
      Carolyn Quartermaine – art direction, photography
      Zanna – photography
      Studios

      Recorded at Westpoint Recording Studios, Funny Bunny Studios, Whitfield Street Studios and Abbey Road Studios (London, UK); Archer Studios (Kingston, Jamaica); The Hit Factory (New York City, New York, US).
      Mastered at The Town House (London, UK).


      Charts




      Certifications and sales




      References

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