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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most impressive albums of the 1980s, August 23, 2003
Steve Winwood was indeed enjoying the high life after the release of this album in 1986. Back in the High Life is one of the best albums of that musically rich decade, providing Winwood with four huge hit singles. Winwood almost became too popular as a result of these songs; the radio played Higher Love, The Finer Things, Freedom Overspill, and Back in the High Life Again so often that even I eventually began to grow tired of them. As a result, I can say that I enjoy this album even more today than I did at the time of its initial release. Winwood's distinctive, laid-back music never goes out of style, and it soothes the soul while touching the heart with some quite emotional, really meaningful lyrics. I'm afraid I can't really describe the music; all I can say is that it combines drums, guitars, and horns in a way that is all its own.While the album is remembered primarily for commercial successes such as Higher Love (featuring memorable backup vocals by Chaka Kahn) and Back in the High Life Again (featuring harmony vocals by James Taylor), it features eight songs of incredible quality. I might note that each track exceeds five minutes in length, so this album is not as short as it may appear. Take It As It Comes had real hit potential in my opinion. Wake Me Up on Judgment Day doesn't seem that memorable yet plays itself over and over in your mind after you hear it. Split Decision features some great guitar riffs, proving that Winwood can get down and rock a little when he wants to. The final track, My Love's Leavin', may well be the best song on the album, communicating both loss and hope in a way few artists can equal. You would be hard pressed to find a more impressive album from top to bottom than Steve Winwood's Back in the High Life.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smash album deserves its Grammys and its worldwide success, May 21, 2000
This was the album that cemented my admiration for Steve Winwood. It was the album that introducted me to Winwood's solo work, as "Higher Love" and "Back In The High Life Again" each hit the Top Ten in the U.S.The tracks fit well together, and each track is a work of art by itself. This album was a worldwide smash and cemented Winwood's position among the great solo artists, and is among my favorite albums by any artist. Winwood received a total of three Grammys for this album, each well-deserved. If you decide to sample just one of Winwood's solo albums, this is the one to try. It's definitely a mainstream work, unlike Winwood's earlier solo albums, which were more showcases of Winwood's engineering talent. Those albums are great too, but this one best defines his solo career, the mix of talent and hard work that makes him a success.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Few 'finer things' than this music, January 9, 2001
We are all pretty familiar with the three huge singles from this album, 'Higher Love', 'Back in the High Life" and 'Finer Things'. I'm glad for Winwood that in this case good music also meant - commercial success. That has not always been his experience. To me though, it's the eight tracks of the album as a whole, not just the hits, played in their entirety, rather than sampled, that gives us a feel for the beauty of this album. It's as if Winwood arrived somewhere in his life and he wanted to express it musically. Wherever it was it was good! This collection is personal, poignant and powerful.
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