Track Listing

1. World And You Tonight
2. So Not Over You
3. Stay
4. They Don't Know
5. Oh What A Girl
6. Good Times Have Done Me Wrong
7. Debris
8. Lady
9. Money TV
10. Death Of The Cool
11. Little Englander

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26707 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
With young, British, soul stars like Amy Winehouse, Paolo Nutini, and Joss Stone crashing the American charts, what better time to celebrate the return of one of the original great blue-eyed soul singers, Simply Red's curly-mopped Mick Hucknall? Despite being dropped by its label in 2002, his band has flourished on its own, both artistically and commercially. Stay, Simply Red's third independent release, loses none of the crisp soul-jazz beauty that marked the group's late '80s heyday. It has a younger, fresher feel than 2003's elegant Home, but that does lead to more of a mixed bag. A pair of bite-the-hand-that-feeds protest tunes, "Money TV" and "The Death of the Cool," fall wide of the mark, but Hucknall makes up for it when he lets his shimmering voice rise above the electronic fanfare, delivering the classic love song "So Not Over You." Meanwhile, "They Don't Know" and the lively "Oh! What A Girl" prove that he can still give the new generation of soul singers a run for their money. --Aidin Vaziri

CD Description
'Stay' is the eleventh studio album from blue-eyed soul superstars Simply Red. Another collection of smooth pop-soul classics in-the-making, this album is sure to please the band's many admirers. Includes the singles 'Stay' and 'So Not Over You'.

Customer Reviews

Solid album from a solid album
Mick Hucknall has always been one of those people that the public either love or hate. People on Simply Red's website forums seem to think of Mick as a God, whereas the press are not nearly as generous, often slating his music. Simply Red's 10th studio album is unlikely to garner favour from those in the `hate' category but it'll almost certainly be a hit with fans and should convert a few others along the way. `Stay' finds Mick at a happy point in his life - he now has a long-term girlfriend with a recently announced baby on the way and Mick wants to sing about this new-found happiness, and also have a rant or two at the end of the album. `Stay' certainly has an energy and vibrancy that has been unseen for a while. It's a welcome return to some new material, after 2005's effort `Simplified', which contained mainly re-workings of classic Simply Red tracks. The album is slightly rockier than previous releases, but that shouldn't put anyone off and it is a welcome direction for them.

The first five songs on the album are love songs, but they are not all mushy and they have a respectable melody to them. Many people will probably be able to identify with the lyrics of `So Not Over You', whilst `The World and You Tonight' has a refreshing and catchy tune to it. `Oh! What a Girl' provides one of the albums funkier tracks and the soaring horns and the slight hint of innuendo make for a good combination. Possible future single `Stay' also has a catchy pop tune.

Hints of soul are included with `They Don't Know' and the blues infused, autobiographical `Good Times Have Done Me Wrong', has a raw sound that suits Mick very well. It also showcases three of the band's brightest stars - Kenji Suzuki on guitar, Ian Kirkham on saxophone and Dave Clayton on piano. `Lady' is a sophisticated song and Ian Kirkham's sax solo at the end shows he has lost none of his talent over the years. Kenji gets another chance to shine on `Money TV', a cool sounding rant, possibly aimed at reality pop. `Death of the Cool' and `Little Englander' end the album nicely, although die-hard fans may find `Little Englander' a slightly strange song for Simply Red, what with the whistling and the child choir, but after a few listens it becomes surprisingly enchanting, as Mick launches into rant mode, possibly at his critics (`Judge me go on it amuses me...'). A mention also for the cover of The Small Faces song `Debris', another strong song, although unusually for a Simply Red cover, it is questionable whether it beats the original.

Overall, this is a good solid album from a good solid band. One of the problems Simply Red seem to have is that everything is compared to the `Stars' album, which may not be such a good thing as it could be said that it was an album for its time (although it still remains an all time classic). It's difficult to begin to compare `Stay' to other albums but Mick's voice is as strong as ever, the band is in top form and the album is very well produced. Well worth a listen.

A major return to form
Ok, let's get things straight here - I can honestly say my admiration for Mick and the gang have wained over the years. "Stars", admittedly, was nothing short of a masterwork but, let's face it, that was over 15 years ago. Since then, although both "Life" and "Home" had a handful of great songs, Simply Red have never really come close to matching that seminal record from 1991 - until now. I can honestly say that there isn't a duff song on this album. Sure, the latter half of the album may not 'rock your boat' on first listen, but set your CD player to 'repeat' and I guarantee you will be humming along in no time - not to mention whistling along to "Little Englander"! Summing up, this album confirms that Mick is back to his best and, incredibly, his voice sounds better than ever. I hold my hands up - the boy's still got it!

Brilliant Pop-Rock Album...
I am a fan of Simply Red for ages.I puchased Stay today and listened to it few times,and oh my god this album is instant classic.The tracks are well written and played.Simply Red is back and they are in a good form.Don't miss it !!!