As the second release on Simply Red's own label, Simplified finds the smooth soulsters reworking classics of their back catalog as well as introducing some new songs all in a stripped-down and stylish manner.
Featuring such Simply Red classics as "Holding Back the Years" and "More," Simplified works well as a reintroduction to the band.
And that's probably the main intention here.
Although lead vocalist Mick Hucknall -- whose burnished vocals sound superb here -- and the band have largely kept a low profile since the early '90s, they haven't stopped touring and recording and as such have cultivated a devoted fanbase.
One can only assume that the band has changed its sound over the years and felt the need to present its classic tracks in a fashion more representative of the band as it is now rather than when it debuted in 1985.
The result is a lush but uncomplicated album featuring an organic mix of acoustic instruments including various pianos, organs, and horns that updates Simply Red's classic soul sound while still bringing to mind the best of their output.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perfect Love | Simply Red | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Something Got Me StartedMick Hucknall, Fritz McIntyre | Simply Red | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Holding Back the Years | Simply Red | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | More | Simply Red | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | A Song for YouLeon Russell | Simply Red | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | Your Mirror | Simply Red | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | Fairground | Simply Red | Play | 05:14 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | My Perfect Love | Simply Red | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Smile | Simply Red | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | Sad Old Red | Simply Red | Play | 05:45 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 11 | For Your Babies | Simply Red | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 12 | Ev'ry Time We Say GoodbyeCole Porter | Simply Red | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 49 mins | 113 MB | |||||
| 49 mins | 315 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamish Brown | Photography |
| 2 | Sarah Brown | Member of Attributed Artist, Musician |
| 3 | Anthea Clarke | Member of Attributed Artist, Musician |
| 4 | Dave Clayton | Member of Attributed Artist |
| 5 | David Clayton | Musician |
| 6 | Chris DeMargary | Musician |
| 7 | Gavin Goldberg | Engineer |
| 8 | Simon Hale | Member of Attributed Artist, Musician |
| 9 | Geoff Holroyde | Musician |
| 10 | Mick Hucknall | Composer, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 11 | Mark Jaimes | Musician, Producer |
| 12 | Dee Johnson | Musician |
| 13 | John "Woog" Johnson | Musician |
| 14 | Ian Kirkham | Musician |
| 15 | Peter Lewinson | Musician |
| 16 | Steve Lewinson | Musician |
| 17 | Fritz McIntyre | Composer |
| 18 | Cole Porter | Composer |
| 19 | Kevin Robertson | Musician |
| 20 | Leon Russell | Composer |
| 21 | Danny Saxon | Musician, Producer |
| 22 | Andy Scade | Audio Engineer, Engineer, Technical Coordinator |
| 23 | Simply Red | Primary Artist |
| 24 | Kenji Suzuki | Musician |
| 25 | Hugh Turvey | Photography |
| 26 | Johnny Wow | Mixing |
| 27 | Andy Wright | Musician, Producer |
| 28 | Gota Yashiki | Member of Attributed Artist, Musician |
| 29 | Michael Zimmerling | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |