Steve Winwood

For those who remember the days when Steve Winwood's music was rough, greasy and a
little wild, the title track from Roll with It is a tantalizing reminder of what used to be. The
toughest, funkiest song Winwood has recorded in years, it features a tight Motown-style
rhythm section, blaring horns and a vocal with far more grit and abandon than the singer
has shown on his last several records. "Roll with It," the single, is the sound of St... More >

Wish I could claim the music's sapped by whatever moves him to submit material to his beer company before his record company even hears it, but that happened long ago. If anything, this is an improvement--his contempo soul has gained not only bite but speed, so you have less time to think about it. Give most of these meaningless songs to some open-throated journeyman white people have never heard of--Bert Robinson, say, any big-voiced belter who doesn't conflate strain and feeling--and they might even sound like Saturday night. (Grade: B-)