Simply Red has had countless hits over its 30 years in soul/R&B music, and its lead vocalist, Mick Hucknall, is widely regarded as one of the finest singers ever to emerge from the UK. If all the band had ever done was record the worldwide hit “Holding Back the Years,” that alone would have been a career worth having.
But with all of the deserved focus on Hucknall, what hasn’t gotten proper credit are the band’s sublime musicianship and jazz chops. Although they made their bones in R&B, the Red can swing with the best of them, and we feature here one such example from the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1992. “Sad Old Red,” a lost gem off the band’s debut album, Picture Book, is a showstopper live and a vehicle for the band members to stretch and stroll. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
