Nine Lives | Steve Winwood | BACK ON HIGHER GROUND

Nine Lives | Steve Winwood | Steve Winwood Tries Out All Of His Styles From The Past Forty Years

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Nine Lives

	Nine Lives Steve Winwood Sony, 2008 average customer review:based on 67 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

BACK ON HIGHER GROUND

It seems as though we forget too easily just how vital Steve Winwood is. His release rate is sporadic, and as the saying goes, `out of sight, out of mind.' Nevertheless, he's been providing us with great music since the British Invasion (yeah, it's been that long) as a member of the Spencer Davis Group, then with Traffic, then Blind Faith, then the revised Traffic, and finally, as a solo artist. His music has always been relaxed and reflective, but with a strong rhythmic drive and a timeless quality that keeps his music relevant through all sorts of stylistic changes. He may not make a lot of records, but he always makes good ones, so it shouldn't surprise me to learn that "Nine Lives" is as good as it is. The surprise is that it's even better than I had any right to expect.
"Nine Lives" sounds a lot like second-generation Traffic, with less noodling and more focus. The songs build on blues riffs, jazz, and folk-rock, all coupled with African and Latin influences. There is precision and elegance to virtually every track on this album, without a single extraneous note. It all makes perfect sense, from the nailed down rhythmic grooves to the song lengths, which linger only long enough to make you want more. "Nine Lives" hearkens back to an era when good music defined our culture, but it doesn't sound the least bit dated or forced. In the best sense, this album could have been released in 1972. With nine tracks passing by in approximately fifty minutes, it's even the right length for a classic vinyl album.
From a topical perspective, Winwood is still relying on the imagery that has served him well in the past. There are lots of metaphors here - flying, drowning (or more specifically, not drowning), raging seas and struggling to find higher ground. He's not a lyrical genius, but the songs are so strong that his words take on a sense of import, and most importantly, he sounds like he really is trying to convey something honestly. Apparently, he still feels as though he's struggling to hang on to something (Relevance? Sanity in a world without pity?), yet the music is never less than relaxed and confident. Is "Nine Lives" as good as his previous solo albums? Definitely. It is certainly his best record since "Arc of a Diver," maybe even since "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys." There is no filler here, just 100% vintage Steve Winwood, and that is better than good enough for me. A Tom Ryan

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Steve Winwood Tries Out All Of His Styles From The Past Forty Years

On NINE LIVES, Steve Winwood pulls together every style that he's used since he began his career in 1963, from old-school R&B to hard rock and jazzy progressive rock to progressive pop-rock to blue-eyed soul- and succeeds with every stylistic turn. He even reunites with Eric Clapton, his old mate from Blind Faith, on "Dirty City", and the result is a song with more emotion and grit than Winwood has mustered up since ARC OF A DIVER and Clapton since ANOTHER TICKET. Overall, this album successfully surveys Winwood's past even as it moves him into the future.

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winwood a winner

Steve 's new cd showcases his amazing voice. There are soulful songs, latin ryhthms, orchestrated sounds all backing up his one of a kind sound. I have played this cd over and over and keep finding new things to love about this new release.

rock legends

Stevie always has nice stuff. Good to hear from him again. Best is song with Clapton.

Steve's consistent

The more I listen to this the more I like it. Strictly from a fan's point of view, I refuse to be hypercritical. This CD runs the gamut in styles ranging from his Low Spark days to Back In The High Life. Dirty City, predictably, is a great cut with Clapton, but give the rest of it a chance to grow on you. Winwood's genius is still much more than just a flicker.

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