Blue (Simply Red album)

Blue is the sixth studio album by British band Simply Red. It was released by East West Records on 19 May 1998 in the United Kingdom. Initially conceived as a cover album, it features production from lead singer Mick Hucknall as well as Andy Wright, Gota Yashiki, Stevie J, and Joe "Jake" Carter. Hucknall, Wright, and Yashiki are the only musicians featured in the Blue CD booklet's photography; this is a first for a Simply Red album, as all prior albums featured photos of the various band members credited.

The album includes five cover versions: "Mellow My Mind" from the 1975 Neil Young album Tonight's the Night; two versions of the frequently covered "The Air That I Breathe", written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood; the Gregory Isaacs hit "Night Nurse"; and "Ghetto Girl" by Dennis Brown, from whom the band would cover another song in 2003. New versions of previously recorded Simply Red songs also appear here: "Come Get Me Angel" is a rewritten version of the 1996 single "Angel" (an Aretha Franklin cover), and "Broken Man" was first released as a B-side in 1987. "The Air That I Breathe Reprise" samples "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp. "So Jungiful", found on the Japanese edition of the album, is a jungle remix of "So Beautiful" from the band's previous album, Life.

Critical reception
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that Blue "is weak on original material. However, Mick Hucknall makes up for the deficits by assembling a good collection of outside material [...] Initially, Blue was going to be a covers album, and judging by these numbers [...] it would have been a great, sultry listen. Instead, he's followed through on an album that accentuates his weaknesses as a writer. Granted, he can oversing on occasion, but if Blue does anything, it proves that his voice is his greatest talent and that he should dedicate himself to material that serves it well."

Track listing
Notes
 * signifies an additional producer

Personnel
Simply Red
 * Mick Hucknall – lead vocals, backing vocals
 * Tim Vine – keyboards
 * Andy Wright – programming
 * Mark Jaimes – guitars
 * Steve Lewinson – bass
 * Velroy Bailey – drums
 * Gota Yashiki – drums, programming
 * Ian Kirkham – saxophones
 * John Johnson – trombone
 * Sarah Brown – backing vocals
 * Dee Johnson – backing vocals

Additional musicians
 * Paul Carrack – keyboards
 * Alan Clark – keyboards
 * Robbie Lyn – keyboards
 * Ned Douglas – programming
 * Stephen Hilton – programming
 * Aidan Love – programming
 * Kenji Jammer – guitars
 * Tony Remy – guitars
 * Bub Roberts – guitars
 * Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis – guitars
 * Robbie Shakespeare – bass
 * CJ Taylor – bass
 * Sly Dunbar – drums
 * Geoff Holroyde – drums
 * Mike Greenwood – trumpet, flugelhorn
 * David Whitaker – orchestra arrangements and conductor
 * Pro Arte Orchestra of London – orchestra
 * Tru Indeed – backing vocals (7)

Production
 * AGM – album producers
 * Stevie J – co-producer (7)
 * Roland Herrington – recording
 * Femi Jiya – recording
 * John Lee – recording, mix engineer
 * Alex Marou – recording
 * Lynford "Fatta" Marshall – recording
 * Dave Tyler – recording
 * Ted Wohlson – recording
 * Paul Logas – mix engineer, mixing (7)
 * Tony Maserati – mix engineer, mixing (7)
 * Ali Staton – mix engineer
 * Douglas Blair – assistant engineer
 * Jake Davies – assistant engineer
 * Andrew Dudman – assistant engineer
 * Ricky Graham – assistant engineer
 * Derek Grey – assistant engineer
 * Neil Mason – assistant engineer
 * Dave Russell – assistant engineer
 * Andy Scade – assistant engineer
 * Mak Togashi – assistant engineer
 * Mick Hucknall – mixing (1-5, 8-12)
 * Andy Wright – mixing (1, 2, 8, 9, 12)
 * Gota Yashiki – mixing (1-6, 8-10, 12)
 * Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
 * Merv Pearson – pre-production programming
 * Intro – design
 * Carolyn Quartermaine – art direction, photography
 * Zanna – photography

Studios
 * Recorded at Westpoint Recording Studios, Funny Bunny Studios, Whitfield Street Studios and Abbey Road Studios (London, UK); Archer Studios (Kingston, Jamaica); The Hit Factory (New York City, New York, US).
 * Mastered at The Town House (London, UK).