Simply Red

Led by vocalist Mick Hucknall, neo-soul act Simply Red became one of the U.K.'s best-selling artists during the 1980s and '90s. As students of classic soul, Simply Red collaborated with legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier and released a popular cover of Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes' Philly-soul classic "If You Don't Know Me By Now." While perhaps not the saviours of the form, Simply Red's approach is marked by both a reverence for soul music's past and a crisp sound that's very much their own.

• pop