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Elly Roberts reviews
simplyred.com
- Released: October 2005
- Rating: 2/10
When I flicked over the CD packaging, I couldn’t believe my eyes.,
New album? It’s a swizz. Simplified? I’m mortified.
Presented as a NEW album, Hucknall seems to be running out of creative juices: fans won’t beimpressed with this one. Tampering with the past can be dodgy business andthat’s the case here as he ‘re-works’ songs that DIDN’T NEED re-working :that’s better left for the stage.
Since Stars, there have been some equallydodgy moments for Simply Red‘s forever changing line-ups in the studio.Exceptions are made for their awesome live shows and Mick’s amazing voice.Home was nearly a return to form and the future looked promising for aneven better follow-up. It hasn’t happened.
We’re lead in by the mucho-muchoclassy Latino fuelled single Perfect Love (out October 10) withcomplimentary vocals by Havana-based songstress Danae. The Cuban flavourcontinues on a conga-acoustic guitar driven Something Got Me Started, withlittle ‘real’ reworking of his dance classic – the pace is virtually thesame, also found on More. Holding Back The Years is totally pointless, theoriginal is still a classic and should have been left that way.
Slipping into Sinatra mode, Hucknall delivers a lack-lustre A Song For Youby Leon Russell, with further pointlessness on Your Mirror, Fairground, ForYour Babies and Sad Old Red (the sax solo is rip-roaringly brilliant though).
Smile, the only other new song, is romantically interesting, though thevoice seems uncharacteristically huskier. By the time it reaches Ev’ryTime… it’s time to pull the plug. Sad old red!
Pointless, pointless, pointless: however much he tries to justify it.
Weblink:Simply Red.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Perfect Love
2. Something Got Me Started
3. Holding Back The Years
4. More
5. A Song For You
6. Your Mirror
7. Fairground
8. My Prefect Love
9. Smile
10. Sad Old Red
11. For Your Babies
12. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.