Continuing with his journey through the past, Mick Hucknall doesn't focus on a specific singer, the way he did on 2008's Tribute to Bobby, where he saluted his idol Bobby Bland. Here, on the 2012 American Soul, Hucknall pays tribute to, well, American soul, selecting 12 soul standards, most of them from the '60s. Hucknall bends the rules a bit, allowing the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" into the mix to flirt with Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do," but he generally sticks to well-loved standards such as "I'd Rather Go Blind," "Lonely Avenue," "I Only Have Eyes for You," and "Tell It Like It Is." Compared to Tribute to Bobby, this adds a bit of grit to its production in its attempt to sound like old-fashioned soul, and that's why it's a better record: it gets closer to the spirit and sound of what Hucknall loves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rovi
シンプリー・レッドの解散を経て、一人歩きはじめた赤毛のソウルマンによる初ソロ作は、彼の人生に多大な影響を及ぼしたUS産ソウルやブルースをカヴァーするという実に好企画な一枚となった。スタイリッシュに料理されたオーティス・レディングやレイ・チャールズらのスタンダードに混じって、アントニー・アンド・ザ・ジョンソンズの曲も登場。陰影に富んだ歌唱を聴かせる後者は、新たな挑戦として評価すべきだ。
bounce (C)桑原シロー
タワーレコード(vol.350(2012年11月25日発行号)掲載)