Nine Lives

This new CD from Steve Winwood is refreshing and dynamic. I find it more inspiring than some of his previous works. Winwood takes a tune and with his velvety and heartfelt voice adds soulful excitement to it. If you don't know or like blues or jazz, even rock music, you may begin to appreciate them after listening him. This CD comes with amazing clarity and transparency. You feel like clapping with him, or if you play any instrument you can be tempted to grab it and play with him. It is inviting, presented in open space, a clean and very uplifting music.

I have followed Steve Winwood over many years Traffic was one of the greatest bands of its time, now Steve has produced another great album, nine very different tracks, My favorite is Dirty City with Eric Clapton but they are all great tracks the recording it self is top quality. if you like Winwood then get this cd, you will not be disappointed!

Steve Winwood has done it again with 'Nine Lives'.

There is one reason I love this CD. The song 'Raging Sea' is a magnificent song with a very catchy riff. If this doesn't inspire you..........

The Eric Clapton solo is also very fiery.

I can't stop playing this CD.

A must get !

The latin influenes are still evident in this newest release by Winwood and his band, but the guitar has moved to the foreground on this new collection of songs. Perhaps influenced by his inclusion at the Crossroads guitar festival last summer, Steve has put the guitar squarely at the center of the two most compelling songs on the album, I'm Not Drowning and Dirty City (a nice dirty guitar sound on the latter). On Fly the band brings together Brazilain and Celtic influences. Raging Sea is a funky bass driven ditty and Hungry Man is an African influenced aong with a skittering guitar reminiscent of Paul Simon's Rythm of the Saints recordings. Nine Lives is Steve's ninth album and contains nine songs, hence the name. For his fans a satisfying new album and just as improtant, a concert tour. With the attention the forthcoming album genrated Steve has played three amazing dates at Madison Square Garden with Eric Clapton (we can only hope that a DVD of these performances will be available in the future) and now a summer and fall tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Winwood fans should check this one out, and maybe Santana fans as well.

With the exception of "I'm Not Drowning" and "Dirty City," this disc stays more or less with the Latin-ish groove that characterized 2003's ABOUT TIME. But while that disc was smoother and more consistent, Winwood's decision to so severely limit the instrumentation was a bit too restricting. That problem doesn't show up here.

Winwood's emphasis on "the groove" as opposed to other elements of the music (he's long had the odd ability to make lyrics seem unimportant even while singing them with great feeling) means that his songs often work better as driving music or "up-front background music" than anything else. Those who want something to sing along with probably won't be impressed, but those who appreciate a good groove (like fans of '70s Traffic) will.

As is often the case with Steve, the lyrics in general aren't particularly strong; in fact, sometimes I think I'd like to hear him do an all-instrumental album. Otherwise, I only have a couple of complaints -- minor things that shouldn't scare anyone off. "Fly" has long, 8-line verses that would have sounded better with only 4 lines; the chorus on "Raging Sea" transitions awkwardly into the song's main, rather clunky theme in 7/4. Otherwise, this disc grooves!