Back in 1991 and the heady days of Stars, Simply Red could justifiably claim to be the biggest soul band in the world. But that was then and this is now - and in 2003 Mick Hucknall and co are so out of favour, they're reduced to releasing their new album on their own, self-financed label. Home has been billed as a return to the band's R'n'B roots, but instead it comes across as a fundamentally lazy effort which suggests a chromic shortage of new ideas. There's quite a few covers for a start, indicating that things were a bit slow on the songwriting front - including a version of Dylan's 'Positively 4th St' that can only be described as an unfortunate mistake. Everything about Home is impeccably tasteful, from Hucknall's anguished crooning to the elegant white funk conjured up by an array of guest soul musicians. But the songs simply don't have any bite, and the whole thing feels as if it's destined to become the background music to a champagne socialist's dinner party. In other words - simply best forgotten.
