Simply Red – A New Flame

Simply Red's A New Flame arrived in February 1989 as the band's third studio album, and it was the record that pushed Mick Hucknall and company into a bigger league. It became Simply Red's first UK number 1 album and went on to sell more than two million copies in the UK alone, a clear sign of how fully their polished soul-pop connected at the end of the 1980s.

The album balances Hucknall's own songwriting with a deep affection for classic American soul. That mix is summed up by the title track and by the band's version of If You Don't Know Me By Now, the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song that became Simply Red's second US number 1. Contemporary coverage and later reference sources both point to the same strength here: Hucknall's voice gives the album its warmth, while the material leans into romance, smooth grooves, and a more mainstream pop finish than the band's earlier work.

A New Flame also travelled unusually well internationally, reaching the top of the charts in countries including Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Iceland, and Switzerland, while establishing Simply Red as a major live draw during the long touring cycle that followed. For anyone coming to the group beyond the obvious hits, this is the album where their elegant, adult soul-pop style became a genuine commercial force.

Genre: Pop & Rock

Review