More than a womaniser

If there's one thing Mick Hucknall has never been accused of, it's modesty. This is a man who puts himself in the tradition of the Rolling Stones, and proudly refers to his "good, strong voice".

Worldwide sales of more than 45 million Simply Red albums can have done nothing to diminish his confidence in his own abilities. Then, there is the famed Mick Hucknall touch with the ladies. Indeed, his little black book consists of a Who's Who of desirables, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ulrika Jonsson, tennis star Steffi Graf, It girl Lady Victoria Hervey, columnist Lauren Booth, model Helena Christensen and actresses Martine McCutcheon and Tracy Shaw, to name but a few.

But the Mick Hucknall who is sitting in front of me has undergone a transformation. True, he still wears the leather trousers of the confirmed rock n' roller and, yes, that does appear to be a diamond set into a front tooth. The corkscrew ginger curls still dangle over an elfin face that is unlined by the rigours of a tough life.

Yet, this is a Mick Hucknall who has decided to start again from the bottom. He has severed ties with his major record label of 15 years, and has chosen to go independent. Next week, he plays four nights at the tiny Ronnie Scott's club in Soho. For the moment, stadium life is very far away.

"I don't know how responsive the public are going to be to a new Simply Red record. We haven't made one in more than three years and I am not automatically presuming that it's going to be successful.î

I point out that a re-formed Simply Red has been announced, and by May, the group will be back in London playing the kind of venues one would expect them to. "Well, all I can say is that I hope we can sell some tickets,î he replies disarmingly. "I don't think there's any guarantee of that the way things are now.î

Mick has taken a long, hard look at the record business over the past three years, and it is clear that he has made some major reassessments. One reason for him going independent is to retain ownership of the music he makes. "I feel as if I'll get more satisfaction going into this indie world, and at the end of it, at least I'll own what I've paid for.î

Hucknall's dissatisfaction does not end there. There is also the small matter of what he believes to be the parlous condition of mainstream pop music. "At the moment, everything is all so wrapped up in Cellophane. It's so clean and nice and perfect.î Although he is too much of a gentleman to say so, Mick is clearly referring to the twin phenomena of TV-created stars and manufactured boy and girl bands.

"I want the music to be real,î he insists, "made in a room with a bunch of real musicians. I haven't made a record like my new one since 1987, and I think people are going to want to hear music like this.î

The other major change in Mick has come in his personal relations. "I've had a three-year break from this business and it has been very valuable,î he smiles. "In that time I've seen more of family and friends and I've realised how much they are to be treasured. You appreciate how important they are if there's a bereavement,î he continues.

"It happened to my best friend in Italy. His father passed away suddenly and he didn't get that time because they'd just had a feud. He grabbed hold of me and said, 'Don't do this with your father!' It was very intense.î This is hardly surprising as Mick was brought up by his father, Reg, after mother Maureen left home when her son was three.

SO, to all intents and purposes, we have a new Mick Hucknall, no longer dependent on the suffocating embrace of a major label, instead, seeking security with friends and family - he's even found time finally to forgive his mother for her desertion, engineering only recently a tearful reunion with her.

There is, however, that other side of Mick, the one that keeps him in the tabloids on a permanent basis. I have to ask him if, at the age of 42, he's opted for a quieter existence to go with his newfound maturity. "Not at all!î he laughs, little diamond twinkling. "I am absolutely going to carry on with what I consider to be a normal social life. I have no plans to calm down or settle down.î

Simply Red play Ronnie Scott's 11-14 February. Their new CD, Home, is released on 24 March.