Hucknall's still simply the best

Love him or loathe him, Mick Hucknall knows how to put on a good show.

Last night a packed out Civic Hall was treated to his passionate interpretations of American 1960 Blues legend Bobby "Blue" Bland.

How this Mancunian with a distinctively high-pitched syrupy voice managed to pull it off is a mystery, but years of experience must have mellowed him because pull it off he did.

This venture into the dark and weighty world of the Blues is Hucknall's debut as a solo artist following a hiatus spent looking after his partner and newborn daughter and then disbanding Simply Red.

The show opened with a video documenting Bland's career highlights and how the bluesman influenced Hucknall's music long before he became a slave to pop success.

His band, the same from the days of Simply Red, was great and Hucknall ensured each musician was given plenty of spotlight time.

It took some time for the audience to get warmed up but a few Simply Red tracks got people going and before long a couple of starstruck women were out of their seats dancing.

By the end a throng of devotees were at the stage vying to touch his hand.

Belting out tracks such as Cry, Cry, Cry, I'll Take Care of You and Farther Up The Road, Hucknall has definitely taken Bland's songs, put a contemporary slant on them and made them fit to his style.

Hip movements aside, Hucknall was polished yet passionate on stage, and his tribute was, in essence, one man's personal odyssey to new musical pastures.

Review by Erike Pennington.