Arc Of A Diver

Great voice wasted on this plodding release

Like a sleazy midday electro shit.

Musical talent or not, it doesn't matter. This is the soundtrack to giving up on life. Zombie plod-rock

I recognise the talent, but this wasn't my thing.

80s "plod-rock", LOL!

Pretty good album lwk

I think this is the first time I've heard of the term 'yacht rock', despite having albums in a similar vein before. As with those other albums, it's very soft and breezy. I can't get on-board (no pun intended) with these kind of stylings, it's just not me. It's nice enough in itself, and I do actually like the synths, but it's just so tame and middle of the (sea). He gets credit for playing all the instruments though. 2.5 rounded up.

So mediocre. I lost all respect for him when his singles became North American beer ad soundtracks.  Liked Songs Added While You See A Chance

This is held up as a classic, and yes, I can hear it has some good songs—but I simply can’t get over that awful, quintessentially ’80s sound.

Straightforward 80's pop. Synth, slap bass and cheesy vocals abound. It's impressive as Winwood plays every instrument and produces the record himself. What's less impressive are the tunes. Fairly bland and uninteresting with occassional parts that try to be better. Best Tracks: While You See a Chance; Arc of a Diver; Night Train

Boy, I haven’t heard this in ages. It brings back memories of bad hair and colours on clothing that shouldn’t be together. It doesn’t wear as well as I thought it would.

Technically proficient, just didn't groove with it.

Couldn’t finish it. 1/5.

The music, performances, and songwriting are pretty good, but the eighties production and instrumentation have aged like milk. If this album had been made 5 or 6 years earlier it'd be great. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

liked this way more than expected. not something id put on but i didnt mind listening to it

80s yachty, smooth dad music *shoulders shrug*

Enjoyable, but would need another listen. 3.5.

Its alright. Pleasant and inoffensive.

"When You See a Chance" is the template for every major network theme song since its release, but I don't know if he gains or loses a point for that.

The list of late ‘60s and 1970s rock stars who struggled to find their footing at the dawn of the ‘80s is a long one. Punk and even disco had set fire to what came before, and the political power axis of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan underlined the stark shift in prevailing cultural winds. So here comes Steve Winwood to launch his solo career with an album of synth-buffeted soft rock in which he played all the instruments himself and recorded at his Netherturkdonic Studios. You can see where this is going on that information alone. I can’t not hear this as music for yuppies who were settling into lucrative careers and child-rearing, their wild hippie days long behind them and having quietly cast their ballots for Ronnie. With its pillow-soft bass drumbeats and indiscriminate and dated synth squawks, this album delivers a whoosh of moussed hair, pastel-colored blazers, shoulder pads — the whole, sordid early-80s shebang. There are a few echoes of his far-better work with Traffic (“Slowdown Sundown” being one example), but I don’t ever want to hear this again.

Of note: The guy played all the instruments on this album. Gets a point for that, but loses a point for being kinda boring.

Like a blander version of Steely Dan. I've already forgotten what was on this lp 24hours later (other than the lead single). I'm tempted to dock it another point for making me praise Steely Dan in comparison.

Went into this one reluctantly as I wasn't a huge fan of 80s power-synth Winwood. But I liked it. Glad I gave it a chance. That said...I do think one can have 'too much' synth. I like an ice cream cone. I'd get sick after eating a tub of ice cream. There's a few great ice cream cones on this one. But I don't need to sit down with the entire tub again. (Maybe all of that's unfair. I just gave LCD Soundsystem 5 stars. Do they have too much synth? Perhaps Steve just had fewer synth flavors to work with...)

Alright. Better than I expected. Disappointed it didn’t have higher love

this was super fun throughout!! super great use of that specific old synth sound

Have to admit. I expected more out of Little Stevie.

Like a weak Phil Collins album with no singles. Your local school wouldn’t even take keyboard synths this bad as a donation

Dated, but has some appeal.

The Arc of a Diver ends very suddenly, after what feels like a pretty aimless but pleasantly good-natured swim through a selection of pop music styles from the late 70s and early 80s. Its a time capsule of the turn of that decade, with disco bass and zany synths combining forces with sometimes fun, sometimes nauseating results.

Yeah a solid 2 for winwood from me , some nice smooth melodies in there but I can’t hack the synth and drum sounds, and it really takes me out of the music The same tunes played by Blue Nile would really hit the spot for me

Fav Song: While you See A Chance

Estubo bonito mg

It was nice. It kinda felt like Alan Parson at home but I liked it

Nice voice, but found this kind of boring.

Solid opening track. The rest of the album feels stale and sterile. Not something I'll likely revisit.

3.5

Still writing hits in the mid 80s. Overall good album, not great. Huge hit with See a Chance. Two really solid songs in Spanish Dancer and Night Train. Solid 3.

Very nice to listen to. Jazzy.

Kind of neutral on this one. At times it reminds me of a less-fun Peter Gabriel. I think Winwood fits into the blue-eyed soul category, but I've liked his singles and much of this album better than most of that genre. 3.2/5

Didn't care much for this. It's like if you think Steely Dan or Rod Stewart was too hard rock or something. Ugh. 2/5

I made a vow to listen to every minute of every album in this project, but this one put that vow to the test more than any I've gotten so far. Mercifully it was short--it was still 40 minutes of pain nonetheless.

Look out, someone discovered MIDI... FM Radio in the 80s must have been unbearable

On dirait du mauvais Peter Gabriel. 2/5

Sumptuous layered production that sounds like it set the template for pop soul of the 80s. More restrained than the likes of Lionel Ritchie, Wet Wet Wet and New Romantics. Some flashes of greatness for me: Favourite track: Arc of a Diver

We’d probably survive as a species if this album didn’t exist

Album 17/1001 Decided to listen while washing the dishes, and it somehow managed to make that task even less enjoyable than normal. 👎

This was all right.

This sounds like pretty typical 80's soul-pop. Definitely not as good as some other contemporaries, but also not nearly the worst music to come out of the 80s

Diet Phil Collins in his own way. Was groovy enough to enjoy the album, but no songs stood out.

meh

Really like the cover and the title. Do not like what I'm hearing though. Feels like a proper sledgehammer of all the things I find unappealing about 80s music.

No, this didn't do it for me. Spanish Dancer was good, but the rest was not good. I respect that he's had a long old career, but this wasn't great. Nice cover though.

Div

I found this to be respectable to be honest. I enjoyed it; hardly bad but I wouldn't say it blew me away. Kinda reminded me of music you'd hear at a department store or something. 6/10.

Standard 80s TV series soundtrack here

Short, but great. You can tell who he has influenced

It's just bad

This is some lesser known Steve Winwood stuff. I'm sure at least 90% of people getting this album are somewhat familiar with Winwood's later works, such as the more commercial "Back in the High Life". You can tell this album in particular paved the way for later releases such as that, with the use of all sorts of synthesizers and electronic drums. It's a fun listen, despite how dated the use of the aforementioned instruments may sound. I guess I'm just kinda partial to this sound, but I can acknowledge that things aren't quite as polished in the production. Winwood also apparently produced and engineered everything himself, which is wildly impressive.

Holy shit, if you played this with no context, I might've guessed this was Genesis. Felt like this was just ok sounding until I got to Spanish Dancer and Night Train. Those 2 songs really brought some juice to the album. I think I can go Low 4 here despite the overt Phil Collins impression.

Well this was a nice surprise. Five solid funky/soulful synth jams sandwiched by two fat slices of 80s cheese. But even with as cheesy as the opener is, it is fine enough -- sounds like a bargain store Genesis song from the Collins era. Title track is kind of a jam. Still can't shake the discount store Phil Collins vibe. Some tasty guitar in here. Second-Hand Woman is a funky one too -- synths sound a bit cheesy, but they are tearing it up. Spanish Dancer is a standout. Love the synths throughout. Night Train is equally fantastic -- love the smoothed out guitar plucking that underlies this whole song. Gives it a vibe of space travel -- definitely have heard Lotus do very similar things during their jams, but this has a crusty soul to it that is so satisfying The cheese factor is through the roof on Dust. I mean, its on a _bad_ song, but it is far from a strong closer IMO. Not something I see myself giving a lot of re-listens to, but certainly had me jamming more often than not. I'll say this is a soft 4 in my book.

Another singer who sounds like he is in Genesis. Kinda falls into the low 4 category, but it's definitely better than Shack, so it gets a seat at the table.

Sweet sweet synth action right out of the gate, and continued nicely throughout the album. Didn't realize he was one of the singers in Traffic but makes sense after listening to it closer. Pretty funky bassline going throughout the whole album. This was a really unique one that was super enjoyable. Had this on a 4/5 line until the ultimate funklord of a song Night Train song pushed it over. Lower 5 but still an absolute baller of an album. If you told me this was Genesis I would have 100% believed you.

Dennis Reynolds favorite artist! Why do all these random artists sound exactly the same? (Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Winwood) Some of these are jams. Specifically loving the beginning of Night Train. Love that he pretty much did everything on this album. Safe but entertaining.

Lallet bras.. Meter vare og ikke noget for mig.. Den gør ikke ondt, men heller ikke godt...

Et helt album med sange der lyder som opening credits musik fra 80er Sit-Coms

man this was cheesy. like a bad peter gabriel rip off.

I don’t know, I got kind of a kick out of it. It’s breezy on top of this yacht. I also kept thinking about Dennis Reynolds.

I guess it's well made, but good god do I never want to listen to that again.

Me gustó mucho que tenía detalles de armonía complicados y ritmos también, pero siempre muy sencillo. No conocía tanto este género. 7/10

Oh my, I didn’t enjoy this album. Everything that was wrong about the 80s crammed into one album. I was prepared to hand out a generous two stars, but it just went on and on for what seemed like an eternity, with no redeeming qualities, and mase me angry, scared, frustrated and borderline suicidal. Utter crap!

huh

mightve got the tiniest bit repetitive near the end but gee wiz i like it!

A little long for what it is but there are a couple of jams on here

As someone who enjoyed this, sometimes I’m baffled by the choices on this list

Now this is boat music

And acknowledged fan of Steve Winwood. On a vinyl copy from quite some time ago of Back in the highlife. Despite the fact that I enjoyed this album, the song seemed a lot of the same.

One of the top 1,000. Used to be top 100 then top 500 but I keep getting older and hearing more great stuff. This one’s been on the list since the beginning

The most ‘80s sounding album dropped in 1980. Gotta respect that.

Started off quite strong but went downhill into mediocrity quite quickly.

This one is just really boring and stereotypically 80s yacht rock. I'm not a fan of albums like this. It just feels like the same carbon-copy of plastic pop rock artists from the day. It's okay at best but other than that, it just has nothing to offer at all. No originality nor difference. Favorite Tracks: While You See A Chance Rating: 2/5

Een beetje van die typische rock-muziek van weleer. Gemaakt rond de opkomst van de synthesizer volgens mij en dat vind ome Stef zo te horen godverdomme een gaaf instrument. Alles met toetsen komt hier eigenlijk wel voorbij heb ik het idee, van orgeltjes tot wat wij thuis altijd een keyboard noemden. En in de 2e helft geeft hij nog even wat gas bij ook. Veel improvisatiewerk, solo's, funk. Toch wel erg netjes hoor. Zeker aangezien het allemaal door de man zelf is gemaakt. Ik ken mezelf en ik ga compleet vergeten dat ik dit ooit geluisterd heb, dus over een week of drie vraag ik me af wat me precies bezielde, maar ik ga toch 4 sterren uitdelen.

Very dynamically boring. Easy listening.

As someone who can get on board with yacht rock this did not float my boat..

Bores me to death. The well-known "While You See A Chance" secures him the weak three stars for me. 2,5

A good album, I liked While You S e A Chance and Slowdown Sundown the most.

Arc of a Diver – Steve Winwood (1980) | Soft Rock / Blue-Eyed Soul / Synth Pop | Avg: 6.43 | Favorite Song: "Slowdown Sundown" Arc of a Diver was a pleasant surprise—nothing mindblowing, but definitely an enjoyable listen from start to finish. There’s a laid-back groove running through the whole record that just sits nicely in the ears. It’s warm, clean, and totally unbothered by flashiness. The production is smooth in that early-’80s soft rock way, and while it doesn’t reinvent anything, it does a good job of staying in its lane and doing that sound well. As a reviewer, I’d say this is one of those albums that succeeds by keeping things simple. The songwriting isn’t particularly bold, and the pacing doesn’t shift much, but that consistency kind of becomes its strength. It’s not an album I’d rave about, but I wouldn’t skip it either. It fills a niche—relaxed, pleasant, musically competent, and good for setting a mellow mood. Not essential, but definitely worth a spin.

I don't like this album. The keyboard sound is annoying and the songs are drippy. One exception: the song Arc of a Diver isn't half-bad. Not enough to get this past one star.

What the what is going on here? Some prog, some blue-eyed soul, some fantastic beats, some filler. A couple of tracks that just don't cohere. A couple of tracks that, however dated, still really really work. Sometimes I felt I was stuck in '70s Leo Sayer groover and at other times I was listening to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. 3.5 stars for the successes, where Winwood's talent really shines through.

Old dad yacht rock. This should not be on the list.

The only reason you'd have to listen to this album is if it is 1980 and you possess a radio and you have no choice. Otherwise no thanks.

Need to listen to this again - think it could well grow on me.

Very 80s

Couldn't give it a fair listen all the way through for fear it was retraining Spotify's recommendation algorithm. What I heard was not appealing to me. I like that Spencer Davis Group tune "Glad" and some Traffic is cool and Steve gets credit for playing on Hendrix's Voodoo Chile. But also some Traffic is very uncool and I have no faith in Blind Faith and by the 1980s, I really wanted this guy to stfu and make way for fresher talent.

I know it's not really fair to slight him for going solo at exactly the wrong moment musically (i.e. the synth-drenched early 80s), I *do* feel like poor Steve Winwood could have done so much better than this near-easy-listening album. I give him credit for performing all of the instruments on the album, but also fault him for this, given how few artists pull this off well (in fact, Prince and Trent Reznor are the only ones who come to mind). But at least it's not a particularly long album, and it was somewhat entertaining to see the awkward video of glowing pyramids and gymnastic tumblers for "While you see a chance". The rest of the lot is *very* forgettable, sadly, although I kept thinking how much he sounds like Phil Collins.

As soon as it started, I remembered why I don't care for Steve Winwood, but I'll give it to him: this album was remarkably consistent and those who like him probably really like this album.

A few songs were nostalgic but otherwise nothing to write home about.

2.5 stars

It was nice to hear this album. I was surprised by the sounds and different Melodies.

Good dad rock.

Elegant und eigenwillig: Winwood spielt alles selbst, doch die glatte Produktion nimmt dem Album etwas Seele. „While You See a Chance“ glänzt, der Rest bleibt brav. Für Synthpop-Fans ein solider Hörer – aber kein Gipfelsturm.

2.75

I can’t even really imagine digging an album like this. It’s not like, repulsive. But it’s so far from the kind of vibe I can enjoy. So smooth. Frictionless. No thanks.

Soft yacht rock that might work for some, but for me it's mostly a snoozefest. Definitely has a Jimmy Buffett vibe, like it feels like I should be listening to this thing sitting on a boat or a beach somewhere... idk. Steve is undoubtedly a great musician though. Album is produced with a fine polish, the instrumentals are well done and inoffensively performed. The synths come off as cliche as someone listening in 2025 ("hey everyone! it's the 80s!!")

background music

I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would but I still didn’t like it

5/10

Steve Winwood is talented. I consider myself a fan. These songs are enjoyable enough. But nothing that would make this album a must listen to.

I’ve always heard When You See A Chance and thought it was a fine enough 80s tune. But I really love the depth of the rest of the album, using synth and organ in ways I really love. Overall I think I’ll dive into Mr. Winwood a little more after this album

Funky jams Perfect album for being on the water Can fade to the background at times Dust is a Strong beautiful ending. 4.3 outta 5

This sounded shockingly like Peter Gabriel. I expected higher love to show up. Not badly done but not foundational.

This album is much better in a car on a highway with the windows down than it is being the first thing you listen to in the morning. Cool album cover. Good compositions. I have some trouble with the very 1980s sound. The opening track is great, the rest were fine.

Classic Steve winwood! Never heard this album before but it wasn't bad kinda just another 80s album lol

Generic nothingness like this should not be on the list.

This is lovely, very well polished, and completely unmemorable.

Not for me. 1/5

All songs seem similar to each other - but the vibe was cool, so I didn’t mind

I liked this album. This is the first time I have listened to the entire album and must say I enjoyed it. 4/5

80% generic early '80s drivel, 20% amazing synth runs that will be burned into my brain from now on. Truly inconsistent album, hopping between cuts I'll most certainly be coming back to and others I couldn't wait to be over. Highlights: While You See a Chance, Night Train

This wasn't too shabby. Like yeah, it's corny and it's a tad bit cheesy but it ain't bad. It's got a certain charm that I guess most people on here don't care for. I was really expecting worst than I got. The title track was a vibe and the first half of the album clears. Not great but definitely not bad. Top 3 (in order): Arc Of A Diver, While You See A Chance, and Second-Hand Woman 3.25-3.50/5

6/10

It didn't particularly engage me and I would have liked more variation between the songs. Despite this, I think it's cool that Steve Winwood played all the instruments and I don't dislike any of the songs, it's just not what I'd usually listen to. I might revisit this album in the future.

Nothing too special but definitely 80s style in essence, where’s Valerie? The one song I know by him. Shelly thought he was Phil Collins.

Oh well - one of the many records in this book that don't mean much to me.

A nice classic rock album but it didn’t really bring a whole lot new to the table

A couple of good song (While You See A Chance & Night Train) by multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood but most of these atmospheric songs leave me feeling a bit cold.

Jeez this wasn’t great either. When you see a chance is a classic but after that it’s another ballless record. Thin and corny. Steve winwood has some great songs and was in traffic and all that but this record is just generic.

Stupid

not for me

Winwood brings in a lot is synths here. Wow. I think the opening track is a solid synth pop song that clearly influenced a lot of synth stuff that came throughout the decade. You can hear that on a lot of songs throughout, but other than the first song and the title track I’m not sure this is a particularly good album for my tastes. I think one issue for my own preferences is that the songs were quite long (5 to 7 minutes) and the synth-ness of it all sometimes felt like it was droning on.

I really like the album cover here, ahh wait I just perceived it correctly, I didn't know where the head was nevermind thatt. Well the genre is rock/pop so I think I'll like it, but since I don't know him, no high expectations. First song, it started slowly but it picked itself up well. I'm not disappointed, but it could be better. Production is good, voice is fine, progression of the song is fun too. It's soft rock if anything. Not a bad song, I just need better ones in the later of the album. Second song, this is worse, it's so 3 star album behavior of this song. Nothing worth to note is happening. Instrumentals are fine but also meh. Gibberishing now, fun but doesn't make the song drastically better. I get why it has pop in the genres now. Somehow these two songs are the most popular of the album, that's not good, it gets worse after this?? Bruuh. Third song, it's becoming a 2 star album at this point. It's kinda futuristic, but so boringly. He's bad at his own genre. There are some good parts, but overall it low-key sucks. Mm just disappointed rn. 4th song, I thought the beat drop after the intro would make it more upbeat or something, but it kept on going as in the start, eughh. This is a typical 80s bad pop album to be honest, it's too fake idek. Becoming a 1 star album already?? Dam, cuz the first though was a 3 star one, how did he come down so quickly. There was a switchup somewhere in the middle, which I thought would be permanent but nope, it went back to some crappy song again. Had to skip the last part lol, so dumb. 5th song, the sonical part is kinda nice, but the voice ruins it now. Ahh I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this Steve, you do not know anything about the beat or the beat Spanish dancers have. Wait, feel the street of a Spanish dancer? Either way I stand corrected. Skipped through this one too, and he literally sang everything in the same tone, became a permanent waver somehow. 6th song, the start is promising but idkk. I'm not satisfied at all, he sings the best here and still it's not even that good. It's just the delivery is more strong. I would never wanna listen to this again, it has no depth. Sonically it becomes good and then I realise, that makes a 7 minute song a 30 second enjoyful experience, BARELY. 7th song, gaaawd Steve what are you doing here now wtf. They deffo would use some of these songs in some bad movie about friends, that tried to be ironic about it, but.. aww friendship. Get a grip y'all. Thank god that finished. Ahemm.. I have Curtis Mayfield 2 stars some days ago, and his album was.. baad. But it had some funk in it, sonically somehow fun, just so mild, anyway, this album doesn't even have that. First song has 3 stars maybe, but God I can't give this album more than 1 star, I didn't expect much, but this is barely "any" expectation I could have had. I don't want any more of him here, and I'll avoid him, unless he has gems somewhere else(doubtful).

Maso

Meu sentimento misto em relação a este disco pode ser resumido pela impressão extremamente positiva sobre a faixa de abertura (While You See A Chance), um tema quase épico muito bem explorado pelas texturas de teclados e pelo vocal de Winwood e pela decepção com o encerramento melancólico com a brega "Dust". Tem bons momentos propiciados pelas partes de guitarras, como em "Night Train", um tema ancorado por bateria eletrônica que é salvo pelas guitarras. Também não gosto quando o disco descamba para os momentos funk/soul. Um saldo positivo, gerando um resultado satisfatório.

Boring and generic lyrics

Steve Winwood has five songs that I enjoy. In ascending order, they are "The Finer Things," "Roll With It," "Back In The High Life Again," "Higher Love," and "Valerie." Unfortunately, none of those songs are on this album, and I don't think I've heard anything off of this album before. I don't know what to expect from Arc of a Diver, but I'm hoping I'll discover some more Steve Winwood songs to add to my regular rotation. I thought Arc of a Diver was pretty good. I’d always wondered if I’d been missing out on not listening to any of Steve’s whole albums, and while there were some good songs on here, I think Steve Winwood is more of a ‘greatest hits’ artist for me. I think this album showcases his ability create some great arrangements with synthesizers, and think he’s particularly adept at combining synths and bass guitars. I’m honestly shocked that I’d never managed to hear any of these songs before. Nothing on here can touch the Chronicles remix of “Valerie,” but “While You See a Chance” is fantastic. Those synthesized horns are exactly what I love to hear from Steve Winwood. The main melody is fantastic, and I love the lyrics too. “Arc of a Diver” was really good too. I loved that the percussion was a bit different than what’s used on the rest of the album. I love a good power pop jam from Steve, but this slower tune sounded great. “Second-Hand Woman” went back closer to the power pop sounds I really loved the bass guitar. The drumming was really tight too, and it complimented the bass groove perfectly. The bright synthesizer melodies were great too. “Spanish Dancer” was great too. It did a great job of showing how Steve can create such diverse sounds with his synthesizers. The bass guitar sounded great here too. I enjoyed listening to this album, and it was cool to finally listen to a full album from an artist that I’ve been a casual fan of for a long time. I was initially going to give this album three stars, but now that I’ve gone back through it and really reflected on it, I think it’s worth four stars. Even though not everything on here is my taste, I think it’s really well made, and it’s a good showcase of Steve Winwood’s talents as a musician (I completely forgot to mention that I love that he played all the instruments himself).

Another no

I was quite pleased for Steve to have some decently big-time commercial and Top 40 success after years of being critically acclaimed but with low record sales for the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith. He’s always been a very underrated guitarist, so was excited to hear he played all the instruments on this album, but there’s not much guitar work, or what is there is pretty bland. The songs are fine and are fun to sing along to on the radio (we heard him often driving to and from Elizabeth’s radiation therapy), but this is all just so-so, especially compared to his work in the other bands. There are two Traffic albums on the 1,001 list and I don’t believe we’ve hit either one yet. Both are great. This compilation album is fabulous but is not on streaming services (that I can see). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winwood_(album)

Yep, definitely a Steve Winwood album. Honestly, this was going to be a 3 but the last two songs bored me so much it’s dropping to a 2.

Winwood is a talented singer and songwriter whose skills shine in other settings (e.g. Traffic, Blind Faith) but there's no justification for using those selfsame skills to make this glossy, bloodless pastiche of R&B. The production on this album is state-of-the-art (or at least it was for the time) but confuses the notion of "sounds good" with "is good".

1980 me kind of hated this. 2025 me really loves this. The perfect 80s pop sound, Steve Winwood's iconic voice, his knack for melody. Bonus that he plays all the instruments, cool and impressive. "While You See a Chance" is like a time machine, and "Night Train" is a fantastic deep cut, killer guitar solo on top of that cheesy yacht-funk that you couldn't get away from in the early eighties. (Hoping to have coined the term yacht-funk 🤠

type of music id listen to whilst walking. doesn't emit a specific feeling yet at the same time brings a type of peace

The instrumentals would be fine in a Mega Drive game.

Interesting sounds for a forefront 80s album. Slick but forgettable melodies. Decent but nothing too impressive 2/5

Yacht rock, but bops!

No real thoughts.

You know that gif of Mark Wahlberg doing the confused face in The Happening? That's my summary of this entire album. While You See A Chance has 58m plays of Spotify then it drops off. Likely from everyone that gave up on listening to this. Sure he had Valerie and Higher Love why listen to Winwood when you've got Pete Gabriel or Phil Collins.

Meh.

this was not good

hell yeah

Nice and easy listen

I rounded the Paul Simon album before this up so I’m rounding this one down. Not bad if you like synth.

Every song is good nothing that stands out stands out

another ok album, another album where i can't see why this is a "must listen to"

3.5/5

I know the name, but I'm not sure I've ever heard any Steve Winwood. You definitely know, you are in the 80's from the first note. Something about the cleanliness of the sounds I don't like, but that could be my own 80 bias even though this is only 1980. Reminds of Peter Gabriel, but maybe it should be the other way around. 2.5 rounded down Heard before? No Owned: No. 1/1001, 1/8 (12.5%) Will I get? No Recommend: No

Very good

A bit cheesy, very 80s production which sounds horribly dated. Not my cup of tea. A shame, as his 60s stuff was excellent

Really liked this album

I like Winwood's work with Blind Faith and Traffic and this solo album keeps that standard high.

aww

Not my jam. Not bad, but not what I would choose to listen to.

This is not normally my type of music but boy did I have a fun time listening. Is this yacht rock or maybe it’s with pop? Steve is an impressive musician and I really enjoyed the synths and the bass in these songs. I don’t think I will be going back to this frequently I feel like this would be better as background music but I’m glad I checked this out about. It starts out strong but the back half is less fulfilling. Standouts: While You See a Chance, Arc of a Diver, Night Train

Genre: Pop Rock I like Steve Winwood. My dad was a Spencer Davis/Traffic guy, so Winwood has always been around since I was young. But this album is pretty mid. There are moments here and there that pulled me back in, but overall, a pretty bland experience. Very odd, kind of niche, choice for this book. Won’t revisit. 2/5

Detta är vad vi i orten kallar för kontemporär kukmusik. en liten rolig synt, ändrar inte på din situation. Me when I'm in a mid vocals competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O) Me when I'm in a boring lyrics competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O) Me when I'm in a bad mixing competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O) Me when I'm in a shitty outro competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O)

Chill lil album. Yacht rock type. Lots of synths. Chill all around 3/5

On Arc Of A Diver, Steve Winwood has achieved something that I guess I just assumed impossible: he has created "advanced listening" level yacht rock. This is a genre designed to deliver cheesy rock music to upper middle-class vacationers (as far as I'm aware), so it honestly felt like everything was always laid bare. However, the aggressive square wave synths, *deeply* '80s production and like 6 minute long songs kind of turns this into an acquired taste. Frankly I'm not that into this, but it's trying *very* hard, like a dog that someone trained to do a backflip. And I'm trying to figure out if it's endearing in the same way. I will say there was something about the first two tracks that I kind of liked, even though they definitely are cheesy and clunky and a little overlong, it seemed like maybe there was something here, and I could kind of see the vision. The little production inelegancies on these songs kind of come together to make them feel intentionally stylized, and the melodies are just good enough that they end up decent. However, this very quickly became a *slog*, I don't really like the rest of these songs, and on top of it, these are pretty much all like 6+ minute yacht rock tracks, so even though this is a theoretically brisk 40 minutes, it really does feel like time prison. Second-Hand Woman just isn't there in the way that While You See A Chance and Arc Of A Diver are. The aesthetic quirks and songwriting can't overcome the clunky cheesiness. Slowdown Sundown tries to give us some variety by injecting the album with some dusty Americana, but I just don't find it especially convincing. After this, we get to side 2, where this thing feels roughest to me. These last 3 songs aren't interesting compositions to me, and the fact that they are all well over 5 minutes, without enough corresponding substance, has me watching the clock. There are some upsides here: a couple of decent songs, some cool moments, and I think the lyrics are often kind of neat, but it just can't pull it together. I didn't really like this, but there's at least enough here to save it from a 1.

This was an enjoyable listen. Some of the songs went on for a while but I still enjoyed listening to this. It’s not quite a 4 but it’s still nice

No thank you. The 80's sucked and this hasn't aged well. The first burst of synths just turned my brain and heart off immediately.

This reminded me of Steely Dan - whose appeal I still don’t really understand - but worse and less catchy. Or maybe Phil Collins is a more apt comparison? I’d never heard of Steve Winwood before. The title and cover are cool, and I was disappointed that this was something totally different to what I hoped. 2.5?

Always a soft spot for Winwood's synth flourishes. At least two solid tracks on this album. High 2s.

Me aburrió. Creo que solo el segundo tema estaba piola Con tanto sintetizador (y sacando las voces) parece la base de un juego de sega

Helt ok 80-tals pop. Lite Peter Gabriel-esque. Ingen riktigt bra låt dock. Spanish dancer är nog bäst, men när inte till skyarna.

Glättigt, plastiga produktioner, kokainstint och allmänt väldigt mycket åttiotal - what’s not to like och i synnerhet när det tydligen är yacht rock det handlar om, onekligen ett väldigt bra namn på en genre jag inte visste fanns. Stark trea!

Um disco simples e previsível de Rock de Yatch. Deve ser um acompanhante maravilhoso pra uma tarde de verão jogando golfe com seus sócios e amigos. Não é meu caso. Pra mim, é apenas um álbum levemente entediante, mas ultimamente inofensivo. Este disco exala aquela aura tosca da década de 1980, bem decadente, sem vergonha nenhuma, com esses sintetizadores baratos e os vocais melodramáticos com letras completamente vápidas sobre qualquer coisa. Steve Winwood tem uma bela voz, ele canta bem, e eu suponho que ele possa compor canções melhores que as daqui. Um disco curto e inconsequente. Certamente você não precisa ouvir ele antes de morrer. Mas não me feriu nem me traumatizou como alguns outros da lista. Não foi uma total perda de tempo, ao menos. 2.5/5

Þessi kom mér á óvart. Þetta er nafn sem ég kannaðist við og svo voru þarna lög sem ég kannaðist við og fíla ásamt öðrum sem ég hafði ekki heyrt áður en fíla líka. Hljóðheimurinn er samt úreltur en það er hluti af sjarmanum

poppað eitís, áhrif frá sálarmúsik og svipar til skútumúsíkar. ekkert sérstaklega hrifinn.

An interesting transition between Traffic and his later work.

Winwood has a voice , but it’s over processed, and gods is this record soaked in 80s synths. Boring songs too.

Pretty rockin'! Have listened to the Clapton Winwood live album many times and enjoyed this!

Nice album

So the first track was EVERYWHERE for years radio wise. I swear it's been in a few movies as well. It's not even his best song but it was a right song right time thing. It's also a killer song, so that's nice. It's a one hit album. It's not bad it's just another album of one banger and a lot of the other songs sound alike. If you are a fan of the 80's you will love it.

My teeth hurt from this and I'm not even entirely kidding. Turned down the volume twice now. Could be my grimacing, though, as this is pretty shit.

very solid record

It found a lane after a few tracks...into something akin to Peter Gabriel but lacking the raw magic.

Straight away I'm watching a science show from the 80s

An 80s era Steve Winwood album that has no bangers like "Valerie" or "Higher Love". No thanks... He was not back in the high life yet and he got no friends in the low places.

Shopping mall music. Worst Song: Second-Hand Woman. Best Song: Slowdown-Sundown Added to Liked Songs:

Hmm not sure what to do with this one. I heard some inkling of sonic the hedgehog in the album opener and some wave race 64 in another. The synths and key work are interesting. Reminds my broken gamer brain of things that make it go. But I dont know. I didn't vibe all that well with it. Kinda too poppy and edge less. But still a decent time.

Steve Winwood has such an awesome, distinct voice, and this makes for some easy, casual listening, but it's too easy on this album. Nothing really stands about in the same way that Valerie and Higher Love do.

The record is very good, and that took me by surprise, since I’ve never really listened to “yacht rock” before or soft rock. It’s a very impressive album though, since Steve Winwood played all of the instruments!! It’s good!! I’m glad I liked it as much as I did.

Fine. Not special.

Awesome album

Meh. A standard 80s vibe. Decent at times.

Could Winwood have used woodwind to make this shit more palatable? Probably not. Just an idea.

Very low-mid early 80s

“Alexa, define vanilla” Like a poor man’s Peter Gabriel. This would struggle make my 10.001 albums list, and I cannot unearth a reason for its inclusion as it is so ridiculously mediocre without a single stand out tune.

Pretty smooth and soft, hard to be offended by. Unfortunately for me it also just didn't demand my attention much, so it ended up being quite forgettable Standouts While You See A Chance Night Train 3/5

Mid. Fave song: Spanish Dancer

Very "pop"-y with good synth and instrumentals. Nothing remarkable but not bad. Favourite Song: Arc of A Diver

Not bad but not good either. The singing often leaves something to be desired. But the sounds of the synth(?) on Spanish Dancer sound pretty fucking good, love the feel.

I liked this album. Upbeat and decent songs! Don't get what all the hate comments are for 4 ⭐️

I like the synthesizer as much as the next fella, especially being a kid who grew up in the 1980s, but Steve Winwood uses it WAY too much on this album. So much so, that some songs feel a bit cringy at times when he has a synth stinging note here and there. Yes, we get it, you played all of the instruments, but it's okay to not bring the synthesizer into the recording studio for each and every song.

Not bad actually. What I expect from Steve Winwood only having ever heard his 80's radio hits. Would listen again if it came across my radar.

I did not connect with it

Generic, boring pop music. Everything sounded about the same to me, and everything is so... Safe. Definitely not my jam. 2 stars and not 1 because atleast the music was played competently.

If you're wondering what year this is made, you'll know just as soon as the intro synth solo (a minimoog, Wikipedia tells me) begins. You might think this is some slick 80's pop-rock in the mold of Billy Joel or Huey Lewis (and it's not not that, as the kids say) but Winwood at this point in his career has been going for 17 years. He got his start in the Spencer Davis Group in 1963 (with his improbably-named brother, Muff). That feeling during While You See A Chance that you should be watching a hero train for a movie's climax via a montage is no coincidence: that's a mainstay of 80's album rock and this is a prime example. There are strains here of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel and Winwood's credit of playing every instrument on the album is absolutely no discredit to the quality of all the work. It's also not over-produced in the way that big-name 80's records typically are. There are elements that sound a bit cheesy today (the bass tone and the synth fills are borderline silly), but I think it manages to remain earnest, if a bit overly-so. A guy did this whole thing on his own and did remarkably well at each part. Winwood's self-harmonizing is lovely, his drumming is more than serviceable and his guitar playing is rightfully famous (if chiefly among guitar players). A+ on all the technical aspects of the album, A- on the diversity (Second-Hand Woman's intro is a straight up late-disco banger) and a B on the songwriting. Like most of the 80's, this is the sound of precisely-executed excess: technically masterful, highly skillful, emotionally bereft in most places. How does it sound both earnest and flat, you might ask? That's the magic of three to seven layers of synth on every song. I think it means something to Winwood, but I don't think it means anything to me. Must you listen to this? No, it won't change your life. Should you listen to this record? Absolutely, especially if you want to hear what "multi-instrumentalist" really means, or you'd like to know what the mainstream white dudes of the 80's sounded like (and maybe why they sounded like that).

2.5

Pop/soft rock. First track sounds like Phil Collins but not as good. Second Hand Woman has that sound famous in Valerie. Is is a guitar with heavy FX or a synth with bends? There's not much else here of interest though Best track - Second Hand Woman 2 stars

Very much a jam album. Easy listening, pleasant.

oof.

Great

Fine

i like this music its easy to listen to

It's alright. The instrumentals are really well done, but the songs lack strong direction to be replayable. Its great for passive listening

3.5

It was okay. I recognized one song.

Winwood brings a more progressive sound to this 1980 release. Electronic percussion and more synths than his back catalog gives this album an exploration feel. "While You See A Chance" and the title track are very easy to get comfortable with, and "Night Train" shows him never very far from his old friends like Clapton. An easy listen at 7 songs in 40 minutes.

Fun, easy listening soft rock - with Standouts in While You See A Chance, Arc Of A Diver, Spanish Dancer, and Night Train.

Something happened in the year 1980 for the late 60s early 70s vituoso musicians. They were left with a choice to either embrace the new sound of synths and electronic sounding music or not. Some did, some didn't. I enjoy those who went for it, but stuck to thier roots. This album encapsulates that phenomenon pretty well and reminds me of Jerry Garcia Band at Kean College 1980 with the synthy keyboards throughout. That being said, there are certainly some duds on this album too. It settles into a 6/10 spot for me becuase I love Winwood and anything he has touched.

First song I liked. Got repetitive after that

It's not terrible. It lands somewhere among Genesis, Steely Dan and almost everybody else who made a record in 1980.

Not really great but not too bad. Definitely sounds too much like collins/gabriel Will I listen to again: 3%

Alright

Steve Winwood was in Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, and Traffic before going solo and other than 'While You See A Chance' which would become a big hit the rest of this falls flat and for the life of me I can't understand why this is a 'must listen'? Well, I know but that can't be the only reason, can it? 2/5

Can’t stand Steve Winwood!

Фоном слушать можно, но если вслушиваться - заунывно и ничего особенного. Серый альбом, ничем не примечательный. 5,5 из 10.

This guy fucked a lot of 80s mom’s with his sweet soft rock styles.

Classic Windwood.

The best part of this album is the cover. The first track is tolerable, in a smooth jazz/rock early 80s kinda way. But the rest of the album is a slog.

Did not care for the style or songwriting. One star given for being groovy; would be fine in the background at a party.

Nice but it sort of all sounded the same.

He sounds like the third member of Hall & Oates, which is fun in a dated, corny way

After the title cut... boring

I remember when and where I bought this! I’ve been a fan of Winwood a long time.

This album changed the way I do my ratings. Previously I gave some credit for quality musicianship and recording even if it isn't a style of music that I personally like. I tried to give some measure of objectivity to this overall subjective experience. But this is just unlistenable. I can't even make it through a single song. There are a lot of early '80s albums that have the same cheesy, synthesizers and other elements. But they hold up well because they represent a moment in time and innovation. This is just a hacky version of that. Steve Winwood is a super talented musician with a strong history, but when he decided to attempt the "new" sound he completely missed the mark. At dust. It's like the Disneyfication of '80s music. At best It can be called a Peter Gabriel knockoff. But even Peter Gabriel was cheesy at this point in his career.

Boring 80s yacht rock. This can't really be in anyone's top 1001 albums, surely?

Production is like so bad but it is Steve winwood so the songs and vocals are fucking unbelievable. Also love the songs. A lot of nostalgia for his voice

Blah blah blah. He sounds like Peter Gabriel only perk.

Heavy pitch wheel work on this bad boy. Love little Stevie

2.8 Slightly redeemed itself with the Spanish Dancer and Night Train songs. Before that felt a bit drab. Like an unfun Steely Dan. Don't care much for the Clapton-esque stuff, hasn't aged great with the 80s clearly shining through.

Parts of it I wanted to like and a couple songs were ok but I think there's better yacht rock

Around half of the albums I have gotten so far have been some multi-instrumental white guy making an orchestral pop/rock album. Truly the coleslaw of music

The first song is the uplifting hit tune I'm familiar with, the rest of the album is what you'd expect from listening to an album with one hit tune you're familiar with; a lot of mediocre filler with no real opportunity to leave a lasting impact on your mind, just leaving thoughts about what could've been The filler parade at least sounded kind of nice, maybe it was a little cool for its time, maybe Steve Winwood's voice is sort of powerful and grabbing, though it's just all not enough Still a good opening song though

very nice indeed, even more so cause he did all the instrumental and most of the engineering by himself

I feel like this is what suburban families played at dinner parties in the 80s. Just some 80s noise to have on in the background.

one banger

Steve Winwood pulls off a surprising splash into synthesized waters with this well assured and confident record. This is the kind of album that elicits a turn of the head, only to encourage and ultimately engender enjoyment of what's being heard. Favorites: While You See a Chance, Arc of a Diver, Secondhand Woman, Spanish Dancer.

Very cheesy 80s pop, exactly what I would expect. I enjoyed it, easy listening and a nice time

I’ve heard the lead-off single, “When You See a Chance.” Not a fan. The rest of the album is worse. I found it bland and his voice annoying.

Arc Of A Diver isn't really an album i have much to say about. All this album really is is just your standard, typical 80s pop rock album that has been done so many times. I guess this wasn't really overdone at the time since this album came out pretty early in the 80s (in fact, it was the first year of that decade) but it still does not change the fact that this album just isn't one that's gonna stick in my mind which is a shame since the one i did yesterday of a similar genre did so much to help itself stand out from the rest of the pack while this one just doesn't. I can't hate this one because the musicianship is pretty solid but it doesn't change the fact i can't rank this one any higher than a 2.5. Best Song: Slowdown Sundown Worst Song: Spanish Dancer

Nah

Look, I don't hate this. The soft rock yachty vibe is fine. It's we'll put together, and Winwood is a great instrumentalist and an adequate singer. But an album is too much, and I'm rating the album. 2.5/5, a rare rounding down to 2 (rather than a gentleman's 3, a knaves 2) because I just wanted to FEEL SOMETHING.

While You See A Chance - LOVED the instrumental at the start before it descended into quite a generic song. Second-Hand Woman would have been so good with a different tune and singer; the backing is amazing. SAVAGE title, though. Incredibly dull songs overall, tune wise, but some cool backings that just about scraped 2 stars for this album.

I feel like albums like this just treated a bit harshly on here. Look, I get it, the album’s pretty dated and soft yacht rock with synth is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. But there’s still charm in this album coming from the “Higher Love” guy. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who only knew Steve Winwood for that song). That being said, Arc of a Diver suffers from two problems: the songs run a little too long and they lack variety. Because of this, the album feels like it drags, which is impressive considering that this is only 40 minutes. It’s one of those albums that you can take one or two songs from instead of going through the whole album. Regardless, it’s just really background noise that tries to be Peter Gabriel. Not terrible, but not particularly great. Favorite track: While You See A Chance Other hits: Night Train, Spanish Dancer, Second-Hand Woman

Bland 80’s genesis style offering weak voice what’s to like?

Strongly resembles its time, but still a lot of fun.

It was ok. Some nice music in there, but nothing that really stood out to me. I love Steve Winwood's Valerie, but this album felt like mostly background music. Best song: Spanish Dancer

I was surprised that Winwood could do all of the instruments for this album; I normally think of him as a keyboardist. Album starts off strong with "While You See A Chance," although I never liked how long the intro was before the big keyboard lick comes in. I guess my biggest thing is that a lot of the songs try to groove like the first track, but the lyrics are lacking. Songs like "Second-Hand Woman," "Slowdown Sundown" (Sunrise, a woman's eyes. Really?) and "Dust" (A feather duster's no substitute for the real thing. What?) So in the end, it was okay, but it wasn't enough to me go "wow." The lyrics and same-y production for each song kinda bored me. "Night Train" was pretty cool, though. I am glad there is an instrumental version of that available. Top tracks: "When You See A Chance," "Night Train"

I looked at what Winwood songs are on this album and the only one I knew was While You See a Chance. And I thought great, I like that song. But then it started and I remembered how synth-heavy and 80's it sounds. I still like it, but it is cheesy. And that's the best way to describe this album's sound - cheesy. So why is it worth listening to? I'm not sure. Steve Winwood was just a teenager when he started in the mid 60's and he became a legend in in the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. This doesn't have the same depth. He played all the instruments so kudos there. But for a guy known for blue-eyed soul, this album is lacking a bit of soul. I just don't see myself coming back to it - I'll stick to his greatest hits.

So very dated. So very 80s. I'll give some credit where credit's due: 1) It came out in 1980, so at least it's ahead of the 80s curve. 2) He played everything on this album. That's always impressive. But man, those keys and the recording style are so dated. Getting past all that, the songs are just ok (like, even if you modernized the sounds, it would probably still just be ok). Nothing bad, per se, but not all that good. What was good: While You See a Chance (sure, I knew this one), Spanish Dancer (dated, but I like the vibe...problem is it goes on for too long).

a very romantic feeling album. I love the synth. I don’t think soul pop is a genre that particularly grabs me, but there’s such an atmosphere to this one. it feels like a soundtrack. an album i feel like is good to know, but not one I will necessarily seek out again.

it is Steve Winwood. Not bad, but it gets repetitive

There really are some moments of absolute genius on here, but some of it just really sucks as well.

In the world of cheesy music, this is a package of Kraft singles.

Steve Winwood represents much that I dislike in many ways musically - it's corny and cringe and sugary, but in a warm Pepsi left in the sun kind of way. However, I didn't entirely mind this record, which makes me hate it even more - it's complete an antithesis to my taste - but at the same time... I can see some songs in there and I kind of have to forgive it as it is quite earnest. Doesn't mean it's a great album - doesn't mean I want to listen to it again, but I can be neutral about it.

Hate to admit it but I'm a sucker for yacht rock, especially when there's a bunch of cheesy synth solos.

This is for boring people who think mayonnaise is spicy and Phil Collins is a little too hardcore.

Definitely a sound I associate with a certain era.

Aside from the first track this album is objectively a piece of hot garbage. This is a long way from the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic. There is no reason for this to be here at all.

En platta med Gäsper Gäspersson.

I don't actually like this, but I'm giving it four stars anyhow because I'm a sucker for "this dude played all the instruments on this album." Such a weird little guy thing to do. Just puttering around in his basement doing his thing.

2-2.5 dated

Very dull

Ok listen. Not a favorite but listenable.

First I was like "meh", but even though no single song was 100% I felt like the album itself had a nice vibe to it. But it kind of dissipated towards the end. Almost 4 stars.

Solid...I enjoy the sounds of SW. Would revisit as it gives me a few good songs to add to my 80s repertoire. 3.5/5

It’s the soundtrack for a yawn before a nap.

Title track has a pleasing guitar and bass interplay, with some interesting synths and other stuff over it. Quite a fun and groovy song. Some instrumenting segments of instrumentals and vocals throughout, but doesn’t really grab me. Night Train definitely does something fun and funky with the synths and the bass line.

Really enjoyed this. Like a space version of yacht rock.

It was good. Reminded me of Kenny Loggins

Decent, nothing special

Mature Cheddar

Ugh, not again. I grew up having to listen to this bad synth crap play endlessly on the radio in the 80's. I thought this soul-sucking rubbish was well behind me, but no, here I am having to suffer through this infernal dreck once again.

Very funky and groovy right from the opening seconds. I was immediately hit with "retro video game" vibes with the first track and was instantly entranced. I recently played Undertale, and can't help but see the commonalities. This album was definitely in my "sonic" rather than "lyric" category of why I enjoyed it so much, not that the lyrics were bad, but the sound of this album is what made me enjoy it so much. It was a great mix of electronic and analog instruments, at least to my ear, and I really loved it. Quintessentially 80s, for someone who wasn't there at least. I actually enjoyed the vocals too, which is often rare for me with male artists. This would be a 3.5 for me, which is exactly the proportion of songs I liked too (5/7 - for now at least). I should probably note my favourite track too, as hard as that can be - here it would be "Second-Hand Woman", just makes me want to groove and bop.

Steve Winwood is super talented and I like his music. This one is a little "slow" for me though. I like his "rockier" stuff.

Enjoyed my time with it, but its an early 80s sound that I just dont love as much as some others that sound like this. Still, an easy 3

Steve winwood went to grade school with Christine McVie

Horribly dated synths. Painful.

Catchy melodies With unexpected dance grooves By seasoned singer

This would be a 3.5 for me. There are some real duds here, but the rest are excellent!

Nem rossz, vezetni chillelni fun album

Steve Winwood is hit or miss for me, and this album is no exception. The first half is so good, with "When You See a Chance" and "Arc of a Diver" being the best songs on the album and "Slowdown Sundown" also being a standout. But it really loses steam in the second half. "Dust" is okay, but the other songs are a mess. I'd give this a 3.5 if I could, but I'm rounding up because I know I'll be listening to the first half of this album on repeat quite a bit.

1.9 Sounds a bit dated an not really up my alley. Side note -There was this show on Canadian Tv called cock'd gunns (If you can find it, give it a watch, pretty funny stuff). The main character went through a blue eyed soul phase and it sound pretty similar to this offering.

Man this was so cheesy and bad. Get it out of here.

So 80s! But so good. Very Phil Collins sounding. Great pop.

I love getting some yacht Rock but nothing stood out at all for me on this one

For some reason I was expecting jazz from the album name and cover art, but the gentle, electronic synth, like an orchestral Kraftwerk or something which opened this album was a lovely surprise, transitioning into a fun, upbeat head-nodding tune, was great. Then, one minute into the album, the vocals began and I lost all enjoyment. I will be forever grateful that this style of singing has dropped out of fashion.

This is the soundtrack to every receptionists' lobby you've waited in for the dentist to drill your teeth or to experience some other painful medical procedure. Easy Listening at it's most basic.

I have a lot less tolerance for Dollar General 80's soft rock. To me, "While You See a Chance" is the poster child for once-interesting artists devolving into cheesy banality. I like Winwood in general, and this record just barely gets to 2.5 stars on the strength of his voice, the title track, and a few other interesting moments, but the appeal of this overall sound is completely lost on me. 2.5/5

I liked a few songs here , a good listen generally but gets repetitive and does not carve a unique space in my head