Blue is the sixth studio album by Simply Red

Simply Red

Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...

, released on East West Records

East West Records

East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...

 on May 19, 1998

1998 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...

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The album includes five cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

s: "Mellow My Mind" from the 1975 Neil Young

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

 album Tonight's the Night; two versions of the frequently-covered "The Air That I Breathe

The Air That I Breathe

"The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.-History:...

" written by Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...

 and Mike Hazlewood; the Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....

 hit "Night Nurse"; and "Ghetto Girl" by Dennis Brown

Dennis Brown

Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...

, from whom the band would cover another song in 2003. New versions of previously recorded Simply Red songs also appear here: "Come Get Me Angel" is a re-written version of the 1996 single "Angel", and "Broken Man" was first released as a B-side in 1987.

"The Air That I Breathe Reprise" samples "Jack and Diane

Jack and Diane

"Jack & Diane" is a 1982 hit song written and performed by American singer-songwriter, John Mellencamp, then performing as "John Cougar". It appears on Mellencamp's album American Fool. It was chosen by RIAA as one of the Songs of the Century...

" by John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

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"So Jungiful", found on the Japanese edition of the album, is a jungle

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

 remix of "So Beautiful" from the band's previous album, Life

Life (Simply Red album)

Life was one of the most successful albums by Simply Red. Their song, "Fairground" was also their first number 1 hit in the UK. Due to this success, the album made #1 on the UK album chart. It also included "We're in This Together", the official theme song for Euro '96...

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Track listing

1. "Mellow My Mind"
2. "Blue"
3. "Say You Love Me"
4. "To Be Free"
5. "The Air That I Breathe
   The Air That I Breathe
   "The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.-History:...
   
   "
6. "Someday in My Life"
7. "The Air That I Breathe Reprise"
8. "Night Nurse
   Night Nurse
   Night nurse may refer to:*A nurse who works the overnight shift*Night Nurse , a short-lived Marvel Comics title and character*Night Nurse , starring Barbara Stanwyck*Night Nurse , a 1982 album by Gregory Isaacs...
   
   "
9. "Broken Man"
10. "Come Get Me Angel"
11. "Ghetto Girl"
12. "Love Has Said Goodbye Again"
13. "High Fives"

U.S. 12-track edition

1. "Mellow My Mind"
2. "Blue"
3. "Say You Love Me"
4. "To Be Free"
5. "The Air That I Breathe
   The Air That I Breathe
   "The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.-History:...
   
   "
6. "Someday in My Life"
7. "The Air That I Breathe Reprise"
8. "Broken Man"
9. "Come Get Me Angel"
10. "Night Nurse
    Night Nurse
    Night nurse may refer to:*A nurse who works the overnight shift*Night Nurse , a short-lived Marvel Comics title and character*Night Nurse , starring Barbara Stanwyck*Night Nurse , a 1982 album by Gregory Isaacs...
    
    "
11. "Love Has Said Goodbye Again"
12. "High Fives"

Personnel

• Vocals: Mick Huck­nall
• Back­ing vocals: Dee John­son, Sarah Brown & Mick Huck­nall
• Gui­tars: Mark Jaimes, Tony Remy, Kenji Jam­mer, Gitsy Wills & Bub Roberts
• Bass: CJ Taylor, Rob­bie Shakespeare & Steve Lew­in­son
• Key­boards: Tim Vine, Paul Car­rack, Alan Clark & Robert Lyn
• Drums: Gota Yashiki, Vel­roy Bailey, Sly Dun­bar & Geoff Hol­royde
• DJ: Dom T
• Brass: Ian Kirkham sax­o­phones, John John­son trom­bone, Mike Green­wood trum­pet and flu­gel­horn & Demo Morselli trum­pet
• Orches­tra: Pro Arte Orches­tra of Lon­don. Arranged and con­duc­ted by David Sin­clair Whitaker