Big Love | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 May 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
Genre | Soul, pop | |||
Length | 43:15 | |||
Label | East West | |||
Producer | Andy Wright, Mick Hucknall | |||
Simply Red chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Big Love | ||||
Big Love is the eleventh studio album by British pop group Simply Red. The album was released on 29 May 2015 by East West Records. [4] It is their first studio album since Stay (2007), and the first album to only feature original material since Life (1995). [5] Big Love is also the first album to be released under a new recording contract with East West Records, a label Simply Red previously were signed to until April 2000. [6]
On 3 November 2014, Simply Red announced they would be reforming in Autumn 2015 for the Big Love Tour, a 30th anniversary European tour [7]
On 19 April 2015, on their official Facebook page, the band announced that they would be releasing a new studio album containing 12 new tracks. [8]
Lead singer Mick Hucknall said of the album: "Once I began wondering how Simply Red were going to sound, I started writing songs. With Stay I was running away from Simply Red. But now I'm comfortable with the notion of us as a blue-eyed soul group. I had to stop myself fighting that idea. Our sound is original too. I honestly don't know of another band that has pulled so many musical strands together". [5] Hucknall has said he wanted to make an album like Stars with a consistent theme: "And the theme here is life from a family viewpoint. It’s an album that deals with birth, love, death, and all the stuff in between". [9]
The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 18,292 copies, becoming Simply Red's 13th top 10 album. [10] In December 2015, the album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 60,000 copies in the UK. [11]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 56/100 [12] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
At Metacritic, which assigns a " weighted average" rating out of 100 from selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a Metascore of 58, based on 7 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [12] Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian gave Big Love three out of five stars and wrote that, "a wizened nostalgia hangs above this blue-eyed soul – the songs are smooth and sentimental, like easy-listening epitaphs. Wistful laments are nothing new for the group, and their unbridled sincerity remains consistent." [13] The Telegraph's Helen Brown also gave the album three out of five stars, and commented that "Hucknall appears to have got some of his mojo back, with added sincerity." [14]
All tracks are written by Mick Hucknall
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Shine On" | 3:12 |
2. | "Daydreaming" | 3:38 |
3. | "Big Love" | 4:09 |
4. | "The Ghost of Love" | 3:16 |
5. | "Dad" | 3:54 |
6. | "Love Wonders" | 3:56 |
7. | "Love Gave Me More" | 3:17 |
8. | "Tight Tones" | 3:35 |
9. | "WORU" | 4:13 |
10. | "Coming Home" | 2:53 |
11. | "The Old Man and the Beer" | 2:54 |
12. | "Each Day" | 4:19 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Heart of Gold" | 2:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Shine On" (Max Bidda radio mix) | 3:03 |
with:
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom ( BPI) [11] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Big Love | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 May 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
Genre | Soul, pop | |||
Length | 43:15 | |||
Label | East West | |||
Producer | Andy Wright, Mick Hucknall | |||
Simply Red chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Big Love | ||||
Big Love is the eleventh studio album by British pop group Simply Red. The album was released on 29 May 2015 by East West Records. [4] It is their first studio album since Stay (2007), and the first album to only feature original material since Life (1995). [5] Big Love is also the first album to be released under a new recording contract with East West Records, a label Simply Red previously were signed to until April 2000. [6]
On 3 November 2014, Simply Red announced they would be reforming in Autumn 2015 for the Big Love Tour, a 30th anniversary European tour [7]
On 19 April 2015, on their official Facebook page, the band announced that they would be releasing a new studio album containing 12 new tracks. [8]
Lead singer Mick Hucknall said of the album: "Once I began wondering how Simply Red were going to sound, I started writing songs. With Stay I was running away from Simply Red. But now I'm comfortable with the notion of us as a blue-eyed soul group. I had to stop myself fighting that idea. Our sound is original too. I honestly don't know of another band that has pulled so many musical strands together". [5] Hucknall has said he wanted to make an album like Stars with a consistent theme: "And the theme here is life from a family viewpoint. It’s an album that deals with birth, love, death, and all the stuff in between". [9]
The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 18,292 copies, becoming Simply Red's 13th top 10 album. [10] In December 2015, the album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 60,000 copies in the UK. [11]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 56/100 [12] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
At Metacritic, which assigns a " weighted average" rating out of 100 from selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a Metascore of 58, based on 7 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [12] Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian gave Big Love three out of five stars and wrote that, "a wizened nostalgia hangs above this blue-eyed soul – the songs are smooth and sentimental, like easy-listening epitaphs. Wistful laments are nothing new for the group, and their unbridled sincerity remains consistent." [13] The Telegraph's Helen Brown also gave the album three out of five stars, and commented that "Hucknall appears to have got some of his mojo back, with added sincerity." [14]
All tracks are written by Mick Hucknall
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Shine On" | 3:12 |
2. | "Daydreaming" | 3:38 |
3. | "Big Love" | 4:09 |
4. | "The Ghost of Love" | 3:16 |
5. | "Dad" | 3:54 |
6. | "Love Wonders" | 3:56 |
7. | "Love Gave Me More" | 3:17 |
8. | "Tight Tones" | 3:35 |
9. | "WORU" | 4:13 |
10. | "Coming Home" | 2:53 |
11. | "The Old Man and the Beer" | 2:54 |
12. | "Each Day" | 4:19 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Heart of Gold" | 2:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Shine On" (Max Bidda radio mix) | 3:03 |
with:
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom ( BPI) [11] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |