Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 You'll Keep On Searching 6:15
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keyboards, Hammond organ
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drums
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bass
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percussion
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saxophone
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guitar
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keyboards
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writer
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- 2 Every Day (Oh Lord) 5:44
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keyboards, Hammond organ, mini moog
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bass
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percussion
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drums
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guitar
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writer
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- 3 One and Only Man 4:56
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keyboards, keyboard bass, percussion, guitar
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drums, percussion, writer
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- 4 I Will Be Here 5:50
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keyboards, Hammond organ
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drums
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bass
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percussion
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keyboards
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guitar
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alto saxophone
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writer
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- 5 Another Deal Goes Down 4:55
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keyboards, Hammond organ
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drums
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bass
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percussion
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guitar
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writer
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- 6 Running On 4:15
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keyboards, Hammond organ
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bass
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percussion
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guitar
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drums
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writer
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- 7 Come Out and Dance 5:30
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Hammond organ, guitar
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bass
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percussion
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saxophone
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drums
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guitar
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baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
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trumpet
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saxophone
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writer
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- 8 In the Light of Day 9:35
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keyboards, vibraphone, drums
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percussion
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tenor saxophone
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writer
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- Total length: 47:00
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7 Issues
10 Reviews
Possessing one of the most distinctive voices in music, you instantly know Steve Winwood when you hear him.
He sounds like nobody else, and in my opinion is quite unique.
This album may not be comparable to his work with The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic or Blind Faith, but amongst his solo work this record isn't too bad.
"I Will Be Here" has a "Valerie" vibe to it, and "Come Out And Dance" has that "Roll With It" funky strut.
He sounds like nobody else, and in my opinion is quite unique.
This album may not be comparable to his work with The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic or Blind Faith, but amongst his solo work this record isn't too bad.
"I Will Be Here" has a "Valerie" vibe to it, and "Come Out And Dance" has that "Roll With It" funky strut.
Published
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The album opens well. The slow and moody You'll Keep On Searching with its subtle textures and jazzy sax sounds like a modern update on Traffic, and Every Day is an enjoyably undemanding piece of soft rock (though it does disconcertingly suggest that Winwood is slowly turning into Michael Bolton). Things perk up with the sexy, charged One And Only Man, drumming from old friend Jim Capaldi giving it a satisfying snap.
Unfortunately after this, the album goes to shit. I Will Be Here is *unbearable*, an interminable synth-heavy power ballad without hooks or energy that drags its feet through every step of its tedious, predictable journey. The oily-sounding faux-hard rock of Another Deal Goes Down doesn't convince, and there's a sense throughout the album that Winwood is still playing catch up with Peter Gabriel's So of four years earlier. Come Out And Dance keeps the wine-cooler-rock stinkers coming, five and a half minutes of lame, slightly desperate sounding attempts to get the boomers moving, the kind of music that made Nirvana happen. The ten minute closer In The Light Of Day is an attempt to have something more profound and artistic happen, but it's so boring, the same synth ostinato going on and on under a shapeless vocal from Winwood.
It's a shame - those first three tracks fooled me, and they deserve to be rescued onto a compilation disc. However, for much of the rest of the album it feels as though Winwood is falling into the trap of many ageing stars, reflexively making albums rather than waiting until the songs and inspiration are there.
Unfortunately after this, the album goes to shit. I Will Be Here is *unbearable*, an interminable synth-heavy power ballad without hooks or energy that drags its feet through every step of its tedious, predictable journey. The oily-sounding faux-hard rock of Another Deal Goes Down doesn't convince, and there's a sense throughout the album that Winwood is still playing catch up with Peter Gabriel's So of four years earlier. Come Out And Dance keeps the wine-cooler-rock stinkers coming, five and a half minutes of lame, slightly desperate sounding attempts to get the boomers moving, the kind of music that made Nirvana happen. The ten minute closer In The Light Of Day is an attempt to have something more profound and artistic happen, but it's so boring, the same synth ostinato going on and on under a shapeless vocal from Winwood.
It's a shame - those first three tracks fooled me, and they deserve to be rescued onto a compilation disc. However, for much of the rest of the album it feels as though Winwood is falling into the trap of many ageing stars, reflexively making albums rather than waiting until the songs and inspiration are there.
Published
Steve Winwood's soulful, passionate voice is put to good use on "You'll Keep On Searching", breathing life into some rather ordinary lyrics about the search for true love. He also gives "Another Deal Goes Down", about the dangers of giving in to temptations, what little grit it has. The song is hurt by some rather toothless slide guitar, and the album as a whole is slightly hurt by production that sounds slightly compressed, at least compared to his previous two albums (_Back in the High Life_ and _Roll with It_). This is especially true with the soul-styled "Come Out and Dance", although lines like "If we got everyone dancing / wouldn't be no time for war" don't help matters, either.
But when Winwood gets to pour his emotions into something really strong, it can be a sound to behold. Such is the case with "One and Only Man", an R&B-drenched number which is the only truly upbeat song on this record. It was written with Jim Capaldi, his ex-partner in Traffic and has become unjustly forgotten by radio - even AOR, Winwood's original home base. The nine-and-a-half minute long "In the Light of Day" is also exceptional, from Winwood's passionate voice yearning for spiritual deliverance to the vibe solo (performed by Winwood) during the lengthy instrumental middle section. Perhaps its ironic that this song about trying to have faith in a different reality is the most heavily synthesized song on the album. That is, if you consider synthesizers to make inherently "fake" sounds. Spirituality is also suggested in "I Will Be Here". Not because of the lyrics, but because of the church organ that Winwood plays throughout the track. His voice also shines on "Every Day (Oh Lord)", running the gamut from exuberant to pensive. The song has a stately, elegant melody and lyrics that use music as a metaphor for the ultimate meaning of life.
Any Steve Winwood fan will enjoy this album, even though it doesn't quite rank as one of his classics.
But when Winwood gets to pour his emotions into something really strong, it can be a sound to behold. Such is the case with "One and Only Man", an R&B-drenched number which is the only truly upbeat song on this record. It was written with Jim Capaldi, his ex-partner in Traffic and has become unjustly forgotten by radio - even AOR, Winwood's original home base. The nine-and-a-half minute long "In the Light of Day" is also exceptional, from Winwood's passionate voice yearning for spiritual deliverance to the vibe solo (performed by Winwood) during the lengthy instrumental middle section. Perhaps its ironic that this song about trying to have faith in a different reality is the most heavily synthesized song on the album. That is, if you consider synthesizers to make inherently "fake" sounds. Spirituality is also suggested in "I Will Be Here". Not because of the lyrics, but because of the church organ that Winwood plays throughout the track. His voice also shines on "Every Day (Oh Lord)", running the gamut from exuberant to pensive. The song has a stately, elegant melody and lyrics that use music as a metaphor for the ultimate meaning of life.
Any Steve Winwood fan will enjoy this album, even though it doesn't quite rank as one of his classics.
Published
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Refugees of the Heart is exactly what you might imagine from Steve Winwood at the 1980s/1990s turn. Slightly overlengthy, very adult oriented songs, well made in the studios of the yuppie era but still containing a hint or two of what was going on around the likes of Peter Gabriel. Y'know. One more 'progressive', almost 10-minute number ("In the Light of Day"), one more driving or catchy track that you know was a hit single ("One and Only Man"), a couple of nice ballads with better-than-average melodies (at least "I Will Be Here"). But nothing to really write home about.
Published
The first halfs not too terrible, particularly "every day" but as a huge steve winwood fan i can't express how saddened i am seeing such a gifted musician and vocalist persuing this kind of anonymous over digitalised mediocrity. It sounds programmed to an inch of it's life. The same beat and drum sound, even the sax sounds like something someone has switched on.
It's desperately ordinary stuff,from a guy capable of a lot more.
It's desperately ordinary stuff,from a guy capable of a lot more.
Published
The "One and only Man"... where is he ?
I've tried so hard to make myself believe this was a return to form, or at least a sign of recovery, way back then.The quality of material is certainly a bit better than on "Roll with it", but with "One and only Man" being the best track here -
and this song owes a lot to "Freedom Overspill" already and therefore has a slight negative taste for being a somewhat recycled affair -
this doesn't say too much at all.
It was probably my fault to try that hard and, by doing so, listen to that album for too often, cause the more I used to listen to it, the more it diminished down to what it really is: A failed attempt at creating something of more merit, strained and straining, with not much memorable melodies or performances ( well, at least on "One and only Man" Winwood - with the aid of Jim Capaldi - delivers some goods and starts groovin' ) to be found. "You'll keep on Searching" would have made a decent start for an album by anybody else but, sorry, not Steve Winwood, such were the landmarks he had set before.
I'm really sorry.
Steve Winwood used to be so extraordinary during his Island-Years, it wouldn't have sounded pretentious if he had sung "I am your/the one and only man", so special was he. And by now, he had turned into a pretty average boy ( if not a wanna-be... a "wanna be himself", of course, but then he must have lost himself before !? ), creating average music, direction lost, inspiration at an all-time low.
On "Refugees of the Heart" you can see/hear that boy try and try and try... and witness his failure, cause...
no, not even "In the Light of Day" is anywhere close to what the man had been capable of - sad but true.
You may say that his voice, at least, was still there,
but it doesn't evoke any more than just one single emotion whilest hitting the notes... it sounds dried out, even lustless most of the time.
A tragedy, really :(
Love;
Roop
Edit: Just listening to "Midland Maniac" right now, whilest finishing my review,
and I'm close to tears as it's underlining my words so distinctively ( compare it to "I will be here" f.e., omg ) it really feels like, with whatever Winwood has lost along the way, we, the listeners, have lost one of the greatest treasures in popular music. Would anybody honestly tell me what had happened, please ? I just can't understand it... and now "Dust"... how much I'm loving this... can't hold back the tears anymore... "what was it went so wrong... went wrong ?" ?
This dust is no substitute for the real thing... how true...
Published
Bought this because I like Winwood. I agree with reviewers I've read elsewhere that it's not that inspiring, especially for hardcore Arc of the Diver fans. Same rhythm throughout almost all the songs, which does get tiresome. Keyboards are nice, though. And there's always that voice.
Published
2-91405 CD (1990)
Winwood's slide into AC mediocrity. While nothing on here is completely unlistenable, there's simply too little going on to hold my attention. I guess 'One And Only Man' is slightly more engaging than the rest, but since all tracks fall prey to the same endlessly repeated chord patterns, it's little wonder even the band seems to have lost interest along the way.
Published
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Catalog
29 May 2024
8 May 2024
4 Apr 2024
20 Feb 2024
8 Feb 2024
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1
You'll Keep On Searching
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2
Every Day (Oh Lord)
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3
One and Only Man
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4
I Will Be Here
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5
Another Deal Goes Down
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6
Running On
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7
Come Out and Dance
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8
In the Light of Day
31 Oct 2023
5 Oct 2023
1 Oct 2023
23 Apr 2023
19 Mar 2023
22 Feb 2023
22 Feb 2023
27 Jan 2023
30 Sep 2022
16 Sep 2022
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