Contrary to popular belief,
Simply Red were a band, not a
Mick Hucknall project. Sonically, the difference is minimal, as he's still working the same upscale smooth soul that's characterized
Simply Red's records, but flying solo has given him the freedom to cut a full-length salute to one of his favorite singers,
Bobby "Blue" Bland, in Tribute to Bobby. At his peak in the '60s and '70s,
Bland blurred the line between Southern soul and blues -- he was either the bluesiest soul singer or the only blues singer with soul -- and it's possible to hear how his records might have influenced how the two sounds merged into an amorphous soul-blues in the '80s, something that signified "soulful," something that never quite had anything to do with the blue-eyed soul that
Simply Red were playing around the same time. So, even if
Bland doesn't seem to be a primary influence on
Hucknall, he clearly is an important singer to
Hucknall, worthy of an album-length tribute. This love pulls out the best in
Hucknall, at least on the performance level, as he sounds fully engaged by these songs, delivering rounded, full performances. Nevertheless, these fall just short of being nuanced, as
Hucknall seems to not understand what the songs are about, using the lyrics to accentuate his voice, giving that voice a sumptuous, immaculate bed of synths and tasteful loops, no matter if they don't seem to quite work with the song. A case in point is "Poverty," which has never sounded quite so wealthy as when its dressed up in delicate, refined cocktail music. It's this inclination toward middlebrow soul that has given
Hucknall great success but it also cuts against his gifts as a singer, making him seem less of a vocalist than he is. The best moments on Tribute to Bobby prove that
Hucknall is an enormously gifted singer, but too often he gives into instincts that showcase him at his worst. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine