Blue
Almost concurrent with the attempted credibility boost of Rod Stewart'sWhen We Were the New Boyscomes Mick Hucknall's nod to roots as diverse  as Neil Young and reggae crooner Gregory Isaacs, along with a fistful of  originals, on the sixth Simply Red album.Blueis the lifestyle music  Hucknall was born to make, but given such high-flown material, it's hardly the  embarrassment it might have been. Certainly, a recasting of Young's "Mellow  My Mind" as boudoir fodder is more convincing than past missteps like the  group's massacre of "If You Don't Know Me By Now." He should probably  leave Aretha Franklin's catalog alone, though.--Rickey Wright