Perhaps I am losing my gift for condescension and withering criticism, but here is yet another quintessential 'bargain bin' album that will remain in my collection rather than traverse to that great blue bin in the sky. Most notable for the radio staple "Higher Love," this solo outing by former Traffic and Spencer Davis Group singer Steve Winwood is much better than I was anticipating, even if I have never quite been able to make myself change the station when "Higher Love" comes on.
If you've heard "Higher Love" or clicked the friendly Youtube link I have provided, you will probably be able to ascertain whether you, too, would like this record. Maybe it's just because this kind of music was subtly imprinted on my brain while I was in the womb, but I do have a predilection for the overproduced, horn-driven sound that Winwood favors. More importantly, a solid majority of the songs have hooks and melodies that caught my ear on first listen - simplistic pop, but not necessarily trivial. I certainly found the album to be of much higher quality than Phil Collins' similar-sounding LPs of the same era, so there must be something to the songwriting. It's hardly a great album, as every song is too long, and the second side is boring, but it is good enough to nestle back onto my shelf in between The Who and Wonder, Stevie. Or perhaps between Steve Miller and Steve Perry, depending on your alphabetical predisposition.
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