(Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, Album Rock) Steve Winwood - Refugees Of The Heart - 1990, FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Steve Winwood had a period of 3 years from 1986 to 1988 where he was on top of the world. He had three very commercially successful albums in "Back in the High Life", "Chronicles", and "Roll With It". As with most artists who cross-over into pop, its often very difficult to have 3 to 4 successful albums commercially. Thus when Refugees of the Heart (ROTH) came out, it hit the wall in terms of commercial sales.

When you listen to this album, there are three noticable differences with this album:

1. This is not the up-tempo Stevie Winwood we heard during the three year period I mentioned. It's a more mellow collection of songs. If you've heard "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" from "Roll With It" (and the beer commercials), that's the trend of the sound this album takes.
2. [...] there is an infusion of progressive rock and jazz on this album. Almost more of "Back to the Future" Traffic days.
3. Steve Winwood shows us a lot of his spirtual side. While I don't think this is a "Christian Rock" album, Winwood emphasises a lot of spirtuality that he had previously not seen. I'm surprised that more was not made to this. When Creed put out their albums, they made a big deal about it.

The result is a masterpiece. When ROTH came out, I thought for sure it was a Sure Winner for the Grammy. I was shocked to see it didn't even garner any attention. The disappointing commercial sales didn't surprise me. This was not a POP album and I didn't not expect it to be on the Top 40 stations all that much.

As for the Songs - I feel they are all incredible. A quick synopsis:
1.You'll Keep on Searching: Immediately on this opening track, I heard the differences above. The music reminds you of "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" even though this is not a sequel.
2.Every Day (Oh Lord): This is the second song on the album and the first where we hear Winwood express references to his faith in the song. It is one of the faster tempo songs on the album and is very catchy.
3.One and Only Man: This was the only song from ROTH to make the Top 40. In this song, Steve explores a relationship - a lot of trademark Winwood vocals in here.
4.I Will Be Here: A very powerful ballad. This song grips at you emotionally as you play the track.
5.Another Deal Goes Down: This song is loaded with symbolism. Listen to it and check out the words. Spirtuality is a big theme in this song as he discusses the temptation of the Devil.
6.Running On: This song is another classic. More of a higher tempo than most ROTH songs. He makes the reference to Memphis, which is his new home.
7.Come Out and Dance: This might not be the most catchy song on the album, but there are some great lyrics to the song. I particularly like the lines "Now baby, don't read the papers, 'cause they always make you sad And honey, don't watch the TV 'cause the news is always bad" and "If we got everyone dancing, wouldn't be no time for war". Clearly Winwood tells us his feelings on this topic.
8.In the Light of Day: This is the signature song of the album. Nearly 9 minutes of great lyrics and great instrumentation. It is the deepest song of the album. Winwood has the strongest references to his spirtuality on the album. The song builds to a crescendo both lyrically and musically. It is my favorite Winwood song of all time.

This is an album I highly recommend if you are a Winwood fan looking to hear a new direction - or someone who hasn't heard Steve Winwood and is looking for something different.

2085847515 67255484 01 - You'll keep on searching.wav
2437874941 61916444 02 - Every day (oh Lord).wav
1002777177 53442188 03 - One and only man.wav
1078709071 63374684 04 - I will be here.wav
3741270566 52609580 05 - Another deal goes down.wav
2930523382 45934604 06 - Running on.wav
1301529317 59141084 07 - Come out and dance.wav
302082293 103299884 08 - In the light of day.wav

auCDtect: CD records authenticity detector, version 0.8.2
Copyright (c) 2004 Oleg Berngardt. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2004 Alexander Djourik. All rights reserved.
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Processing file: [01 - You'll keep on searching.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Processing file: [02 - Every day (oh Lord).wav]

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This track looks like MPEG with probability 73%

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Processing file: [03 - One and only man.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Processing file: [04 - I will be here.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Processing file: [05 - Another deal goes down.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Processing file: [06 - Running on.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Processing file: [07 - Come out and dance.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Processing file: [08 - In the light of day.wav]

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This track looks like CDDA with probability 100%

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Final Conclusion:
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These tracks looks like CDDA with probability 100%