Nine Lives - Steve Winwood - A music review

I was afforded the lovely opportunity through Gather to review Steve Winwood's new album - Nine Lives. Before I do so, for those of you that may not know him or his work, I'll provide a little introduction of the man behind the music.

Steve Winwood is a British singer, songwriter, and musician. In addition to his solo career, was a member of the bands the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith, to name a few.

He has worked with musicians the likes of  Jimi Hendrix (Electric Ladyland), Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, James Brown, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, among many others.

Nine Lives acheived its name simply by being Steve Winwood's ninth album and having nine songs, nothing more.

You can find the following tracks on this CD:

Steve Winwood is as good as he ever was with this album in his upcoming years of age. His birthday is May 12. Although, I cannot say definitively that this album is a progression from his previous works, it is more of a continuation. The tunes are quite relaxed and subtle, even quite mellow. You will find this album to be primarily jam based, as Winwood even states on his own website. I was hoping for something more upbeat, or at least recognizable. The songs are great, the lyrics ability to tell a story even more so, but I had to read the lyrics off the insert included with the CD in order to really understand them. Winwood would benefit from a class in, what is it I'm seeking, annunciation? The lyrics often merge together in one giagantic blur.

That being said, I do not see one song that sticks out as being repeatable among this bunch, as none of them had me wanting to repeat it. While all his songs, including these are unique in their own manner, my all time favorite of his is "Back In The High Life Again", from his 4th solo album of the same name. On this album, I would have to say "At Tmes We Do Forget" is the only song that forces me to actually listen to it. However, I feel this CD is a good match if you are looking to unwind after a long day.