Big Love
Simply Red · 2015
43 min · 12 tracks · jazz fusion
Smooth melodies and polished instrumentation blend blue-eyed soul with contemporary pop influences, creating an inviting auditory experience.
Top tracks — play these first
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Shine On Start here — Opening the album, this track combines infectious hooks with uplifting lyrics about love and resilience, setting a vibrant tone for what follows.
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Big Love — The title track encapsulates the album's themes of romantic longing and emotional depth, featuring a smooth groove that highlights Mick Hucknall's soulful vocals.
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Daydreaming — This song stands out with its dreamy instrumentation and reflective lyrics, evoking a sense of nostalgia while maintaining a fresh sonic approach.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album showcases solid jazz fusion elements but lacks standout compositions or a strong cohesive narrative.
What we noticed
- The album features a consistent use of smooth jazz instrumentation, with prominent saxophone and piano throughout.
- Tracks like 'Shine On' and 'Daydreaming' maintain a laid-back tempo, while 'WORU' introduces a more upbeat rhythm.
- Several tracks incorporate extended instrumental sections that allow for improvisation, particularly in the latter half of the album.
- Composition 25% of the score
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6/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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5/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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5/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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6/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Little footprint beyond its audience. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady pacing for relaxed afternoons
- warm melodies for cozy moments
- reflective tunes for quiet evenings
- short bursts of heartfelt emotion
Maybe skip if you
- prefer high-energy tracks
- seek complex, lengthy compositions
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Late Career Highlight — Shows continued vitality and engagement with contemporary sounds in later career.
- Themes
- romantic longing· smooth jazz grooves· nostalgic reflections
- Career context
- Released in 2015, Big Love is Simply Red's eleventh studio album and the first since the band reunited in 2010 after a five-year hiatus. At this point in their career, they aimed to reestablish their signature sound while embracing modern production techniques, marking a significant return to form for the band.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Sade· Seal· Jamiroquai
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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Love Gave Me More
The bridge introduces an unexpected shift in melody and tempo, creating an emotional peak that contrasts with the preceding verses.
This structural change not only heightens the emotional impact but also showcases the artist's ability to innovate within familiar themes.
Tracklist
- 1 Shine On Start here 3:12
- 2 Daydreaming 3:37
- 3 Big Love 4:09
- 4 The Ghost of Love 3:15
- 5 Dad 3:54
- 6 Love Wonders 3:55
- 7 Love Gave Me More 3:16
- 8 Tight Tones 3:35
- 9 WORU 4:12
- 10 Coming Home 2:53
- 11 The Old Man and the Beer 2:53
- 12 Each Day 4:19
If this landed
Records by other artists that run on the same instinct.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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