Simply Red

Mick Hucknall was able to make the unlikely leap from punk rocker to pop star thanks to a voice steeped in the aching tenderness of vintage soul music. After fronting the DIY outfit The Frantic Elevators, the young Mancunian formed Simply Red in 1985 and achieved stardom with a mix of self-penned hits (“Holding Back the Years”) and cover songs (“If You Don’t Know Me By Now”) showcasing his elegant interpretive skills. Hucknall and company continued their chart success while seeking out new textures to pair with his tenor. Whereas early albums like 1985’s Picture Book and 1987's Men and Women blend blue-eyed soul, New Wave, and jazz into an emergent style critics would call sophistipop, the ’90s find the band incorporating stylish dance pop and downtempo grooves into records like Life and Blue. Simply Red’s durability well into the 21st century rests squarely on Hucknall’s rare gift for transforming the deepening huskiness that comes with age into new expressive qualities.