Mick Hucknall, the former lead singer of Simply Red, released his first solo album in June, aptly titled “Tribute to Bobby.” The tribute consists twelve of Mick’s renditions of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s classic blues sounds.
Having known little about Bobby and nothing about Mick before getting my hands on this album, I listened to the tracks with an open mind as someone who loves all musical genres, and has a solid understanding of the blues. It’s not just the song; it’s that wail that makes the blues work, the one that pulls emotion from us when we hear it- a sorrow, an anger.
As a tribute, it’s nicely done. Hucknall has taken some of Bobby’s most well known songs and made them his own, and for that, the album could succeed on effort alone. Most of us wouldn’t dare butcher the songs of our favorite musicians, but most of us aren’t successful recording artists like Mick Hucknall.
Being unfamiliar with the original songs, after giving the album a listen through I went ahead and listened to some of Bobby’s originals, back-to-back with Hucknall’s tracks. The truth is that yes, Bobby’s sound is more authentic and raw; they are his blues to sing. I remind myself that Mick Hucknall knows this, and this his tribute is just that. Overall the album is smooth, my favorite tracks are Yolanda, which is your typical ‘woman-done-me-wrong’ blues is great for singing along to. Cry me a River, I pity the Fool, and I’m Too Far Gone. His slower tunes don’t get me as much as the one with the faster tempos, they pack more soul.
If I didn’t know these were covers, I’d consider this a good album, and still, I’m glad to have it in my collection. For the real stuff though, I think I’ll pick up Bobby’s anthology.
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