Stevie Winwood - Nine Lives
Steve Winwood was 16 years old when he led the Spencer Davis Group in 1963 and he is an excellent keyboardist who has remained an in-demand session musician for decades.
With ‘Nine Lives’ Winwood pulls together every style that he’s used since he began his career 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. The songs build on blues riffs, jazz, funk and folk-rock, all coupled with African and Latin influences. There is precision and style to almost every track on this album, without a single irrelevant note. The guitar has moved to the foreground on this new album, this is possibly influenced by his inclusion at the most recent Crossroads guitar festival (see other review). Winwood has put the guitar at the center of the two most compelling songs on the album, ‘I’m Not Drowning’ and ‘Dirty City’ it features Eric Clapton, and sounds as if it came right out of the Blind Faith era with a dirty guitar sound!. On ‘Fly’ Winwood brings together Brazilian and Celtic influences. ‘Raging Sea’ is a funky bass driven number and ‘Hungry Man’ is an African influenced song that grows on you with each listening.
The more I listen to this assortment of musical genres and grooves, the more I like it. Winwood turned 60 recently, his vocals are as strong and his musical sensee just as steady as it was in his teenage years.
Sony
April 2008
