Nine Lives expands on all the many phases and turns of Steve Winwood's lustrous career, bristling with his pure joy of music-making. The new songs range from the inspiring "Fly" to the burning "Dirty City" (featuring a guest appearance by long-time friend Eric Clapton) to the simmering "Hungry Man", joining a canon that spans more than forty years to include some of the most beloved songs of modern pop and rock.

This great and surprising release from a 60 year old rocker is one of the best popular music albums I have heard in years. Winwood has been there for decades of course, occasionally surfacing, but usually somewhat blended in the background of famous group projects. This release is evidence he is still growing, still interested in tuning up his considerable skills.

There are diverse sounds here from calypso, folk, vintage metal -- all fresh and excellently recorded and produced. Nothing is out of place and there are no bad cuts; everything is eminently re-listenable. Winwood's voice has not only held up but sounds better than ever before. The album is also lyrically and poetically interesting and subtle, as rock music goes; thankfully no politics, no preaching, no mawkish "looking back" over life & career. Every song stands on its own and there is no filler. There are some songs that stand with Winwood's greatest -- notably the lyric "Fly," the driving "Raging Sea," "Dirty City" featuring great work from Clampton," and the astonishing heartfelt closer, "Other Shore." This is a record that glows with life and will doubtless not age.

On Steve Winwood's CD About Time, his version of "Why Can't We Live Together" hypnotized my ears, maybe my personal favorite track of the decade so far. On "Nine Lives" Winwood is in fine form. The opener "I'm Not Drowning" has distinctive percussion and Winwood's vocals moaning, "Count the cost, ghost waiting where the roads all cross." "Raging Sea" is an excellent track if you are patient enough to let its rolling rhythms and Winwood's voice like a siren draw you into the mix. "Dirty City" pulses to a slow groove with Eric Clapton's guitar stinging as Winwood sings with equal parts allure and sinister sharpness. "Secrets" is a good track with Winwood's B3 on fire & a nice touch with Paul Booth's flute. Winwood's "Nine Lives" is firmly rooted in the sound, exploring the six & seven minute jam that reprises the progressive rock era. As a set, the songs tend to blend a bit with similar tempos & percussion, as good as it is. Still, this is a strong set that goes down smooth like a cold brew. Enjoy!

PRETTY GOOD NOT ARC OF THE DIVER OR ROLL WITH IT STILL PRETTY GOOD

There are some fantastic songs on these cd but there are some repetitious ones that i could live without . I give it 4 stars because the fantastic songs are worth listening , even that this is the most Eric Clapton composition style Steve has written . Buy a used cd so you wount feel so bad that only the first 5 songs are worth it ...
Common Stevie , 2 cds to make one ? . I mean It's about Time and 9 Lives could be a really good one ... I will wait for Comming of Age ...

Not since his collaborations with Remi Kabaka and Abdul Lasisi Amao (Aiye-Keta, 1973) has Winwood explored African rhythms and style in such depth as on this recording. A perplexing album if one is looking for vintage Winwood pop or even latter-day Traffic (although elements of both survive and even thrive on this recording). Overall, Winwood's vocal abilities still amaze, his lyrical sensibility is always interesting, and the musicianship on this record surpasses anything by ANY new band pretenders out there. He is an ORIGINAL, and that - is THAT. The heavy reliance on percussion is curious, but Winwood still manages to pull off a better record at this stage of his career than practically any of his younger wannabes.