On Sunday, December 19, Simply Red disbanded upon playing a final concert at London’s O2 Arena. The news caused barely a ripple here, but across the pond, the farewell show was big enough to be broadcast live at cinemas in the UK.

However, as Simply Red’s famously redheaded frontman Mick Hucknall was its sole remaining original member, it’s hard to fathom feeling totally devastated. As far back as 1991, he’d even referred to his group as “essentially a solo project,” a statement proven by the fact that over Simply Red’s 25-year run, nearly as many players have backed Hucknall in the studio and on stage. But what sweet soul music Simply Red delivered during those two and a half decades, hung on Hucknall’s unmistakable voice and songwriting talents, ever-changing lineup aside.

Of course, like any band with a long career, Simply Red had to face the public’s ever-changing tastes too, no more so than here in the U.S. While the band scored two #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, 1986’s “Holding Back The Years” and 1989s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (a cover of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ 1972 hit), three others barely cracked the Top 40. The rest of Simply Red’s singles either fell well outside or didn’t chart at all.

Hucknall & Co. fared much better here over on the Adult Contemporary chart, where six singles reached the top ten. I count one of those, “Stars,” among my very favorite Simply Red tunes. The single made its debut eighteen years ago this month, eventually climbing to #8 on the AC chart in March 1992, while topping out at #44 on the Hot 100.

“Stars” remains just as sublime a song as it was when it was brand new, a tune that manages to send my soul soaring whenever I happen to hear it:

With Simply Red officially wrapped, Mick Hucknall says he’d like to explore music with a “bit more of an edge and little more drive.”. That mention sounds like a definite departure from Hucknall’s 2008 solo debut, Tribute To Bobby, on which he covered songs by Bobby “Blue” Bland, as well as any additional work as Rod Stewart’s replacement for the reunited Faces.

Purchase Simply Red – “Stars” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.