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More meticulously crafted than its predecessor Arc of a Diver and more musically adventurous than its follow-up, Roll with It, Back in the High Life represents the pinnacle of Steve Winwood's '80s pop output. High production values, interlocking percussion lines, R&B backing vocals, horns, synthesizers, and ideas borrowed from various world musics enhance and update Winwood's proclivity for blues, R&B, and rock. His distinctive blue-eyed soul vocals are, naturally, at the front of the mix as well.
The runaway number one single, "Higher Love," with its syncopated groove, pan-African percussion, and slick Top 40 production, kicks off this accessible set. Elsewhere, the dance-gospel of "Wake Me Up on Judgment Day," the semi-acoustic title track, and the funk-touched "Split Decision" (which proves Winwood's R&B roots were still strong) keep the stylistic wheel turning. The record's success, sonically and commercially, should come as no surprise. Since his days in Traffic, Winwood has been a masterful stylistic synthesist, melding a range of aesthetics in ways that invariably connect with listeners. Back in the High Life is further proof of his remarkable abilities.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
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David Frank, SynthPad - Robbie Kilgore, Synthesizer - Russ Titelman, Producer - Eddie Martinez, Guitar - John Robinson, DrumKit - NILE RODGERS, Guitar - Steve Winwood, Producer, Synthesizer, Sequencer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist, DrumProgrammer - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Will Jennings, ComposerLyricist - CHAKA KHAN, BackgroundVocalist - Jason Corsaro, Engineer - PHILIPPE SAISSE, Synthbass - Jimmy Bralower, DrumProgrammer - Andrew Thomas, Synthesizer - Carol Steele, Percussion
℗ 1986 Island Records Ltd.
Russ Titelman, Producer - Steve Winwood, Producer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Will Jennings, ComposerLyricist - Jason Corsaro, Engineer
℗ 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited
David Frank, HornArranger - Russ Titelman, Producer - Eddie Martinez, Guitar - Tom Malone, Trombone - Steve Winwood, Producer, Programmer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist, HammondOrgan, Synthbass, DrumProgrammer - Randy Brecker, Trumpet - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Jason Corsaro, Engineer - George Young, AltoSaxophone - Jimmy Bralower, DrumProgrammer - Steve Ferrone, DrumKit - BOB MINTZER, TenorSaxophone - Joe Walsh, Guitar - Carol Steele, Percussion - George Fleming, ComposerLyricist - James Hooker Brown, ComposerLyricist - Lewis Del Gatto, BaritoneSaxophone, TenorSaxophone
℗ 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited
Russ Titelman, Producer - Steve Winwood, Producer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Will Jennings, ComposerLyricist - Jason Corsaro, Engineer
℗ 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited
Russ Titelman, Producer - Steve Winwood, Producer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Will Jennings, ComposerLyricist - Jason Corsaro, Engineer
℗ 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited
David Frank, SynthPad - Robbie Kilgore, Synthesizer - Russ Titelman, Producer - Ira Siegel, Guitar - John Robinson, DrumKit - NILE RODGERS, Guitar - Steve Winwood, Producer, Synthesizer, Sequencer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist, DrumProgrammer - Jocelyn Brown, BackgroundVocalist - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Mark Stephens, BackgroundVocalist - Will Jennings, ComposerLyricist - Jason Corsaro, Engineer - Jimmy Bralower, DrumProgrammer - Andrew Thomas, Synthesizer - Carol Steele, Percussion - Connie Harvey, BackgroundVocalist
℗ 1986 Island Records Ltd.
Russ Titelman, Producer - Steve Winwood, Producer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Jason Corsaro, Engineer - Joseph Fidler Walsh, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited
Russ Titelman, Producer - Steve Winwood, Producer, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - TOM LORD-ALGE, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Jason Corsaro, Engineer - Viv Stanshall, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1986 Island Records Ltd.
Album review
More meticulously crafted than its predecessor Arc of a Diver and more musically adventurous than its follow-up, Roll with It, Back in the High Life represents the pinnacle of Steve Winwood's '80s pop output. High production values, interlocking percussion lines, R&B backing vocals, horns, synthesizers, and ideas borrowed from various world musics enhance and update Winwood's proclivity for blues, R&B, and rock. His distinctive blue-eyed soul vocals are, naturally, at the front of the mix as well.
The runaway number one single, "Higher Love," with its syncopated groove, pan-African percussion, and slick Top 40 production, kicks off this accessible set. Elsewhere, the dance-gospel of "Wake Me Up on Judgment Day," the semi-acoustic title track, and the funk-touched "Split Decision" (which proves Winwood's R&B roots were still strong) keep the stylistic wheel turning. The record's success, sonically and commercially, should come as no surprise. Since his days in Traffic, Winwood has been a masterful stylistic synthesist, melding a range of aesthetics in ways that invariably connect with listeners. Back in the High Life is further proof of his remarkable abilities.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 8 track(s)
- Total length: 00:45:23
- Main artists: Steve Winwood
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited ℗ 1986 Universal Music Operations Limited
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