Let me start off by saying I have always been a Simply Red fan. Since "Money's too tight to mention", I have been collecting their singles and enjoying their mix of jazz, funky, silky smooth melodies, so this is more a welcome surprise than a shocker. To see one great band pay homage in song to another is no surprise to me. In fact, a lot of times the sounds of Simply Red quite mirror that of our favorite soul duo.

So, enter in their awesome new song, "Sunrise." Up until a recent trip to Vancouver, Canada, I only heard snippets overhead in stores and restaurants, and it was killing me not to know how it really went. All I knew was that they sampled one of my fave H20 tracks, "I can't go for that" and that was more than enough to go on. I knew I would like it from that. But, hearing it in my headphones loud as can be was a new experience altogether.

It's not a rip-off, but a new song in it's own right. The vocals are just as memorable, and in subsequent mixes on the song without the h20 sample, it still holds up. But, still it's the chorus that stands out from the crowd. I am still humming "could be me, should be me". And that gal doing her own take on Daryl's vocals is cool and fun, and reminds people where this funky groove came from. Overall, this song is a 5-star wonder, and the two mixes that came on the CD are equally good, though neither nod to the classic original. The video, on the other hand, could have been a lot better, and I have my own ideas for how it could have gone. Still, Simply Red pulled out a gem for a music industry that is waning out there. Remember, good ol soul music has a rightful place of its own, and these sweet sounds will give people something to sing about.

Sunrise - 5 stars!