Steve Winwood, Starsailor, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart music reviews

— -- This week we look at a double live album released by Steve Winwood, plus new albums by British band Starsailor and indie-rockers the Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Steve Winwood’s “Winwood Greatest Hits Live”

****

Steve Winwood’s latest collection is a double-disc set chronicling a variety of concert performances from his back-catalogue, covering hits with The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and his storied solo career. After singing for more than 50 years, you might expect his voice to show signs of wear, but no. Here he sings classics like “Give Me Some Lovin’” and “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” with the same sort of care he originally did on record. That being said, nowhere are these recordings actually dated, so it is hard to tell how old they actually are. These arrangements do seem modern, though, and the set, while sourced from many different performances in Winwood’s archive is remarkably cohesive. If you didn’t know otherwise, you might think this was a singular concert.

These arrangements are on the jazzy side, with emphasis on Winwood’s considerable skills as an organist and guitarist, which means “Higher Love” is stripped of its glossy '80s sheen, while “Roll With It” still maintains its strong Motown influence.

Mostly this collection is a reminder of Winwood’s power as a performer. He deserves every bit of the legendary attention thrown at his Blind Faith bandmate, Eric Clapton, and he stayed relevant in a range of eras. The eight-minute reading of '80s hit “Back in the High Life” sounds surprisingly good within the same context as earlier standouts like “Medicated Goo” and “Can’t Find My Way Home.”

While there are some hits missing, this collection still shows Winwood doing what he does best.

Focus Tracks:

“Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” Sure this is roughly three minutes shorter than the epic studio version, but Winwood and his band give this Traffic classic a fittingly dark swagger.

“Can’t Find My Way Home” A stellar reading of the Blind Faith classic.

“Higher Love” A different reading of the 1986 hit when compared to the studio version, but this reading brings forth the jazz-and-funk elements embedded deep in the song’s construction.

Starsailor’s “All This Life”
***1/2

You may remember Starsailor as the Brit-rock band who had a small hit stateside with their song “Good Souls.” “All This Life” is the band’s first album in eight years and it is marked by some soulful, emotionally charged and funky performances from leader James Walsh, who makes this almost as much of a contemporary R&B-tinged offering as a rock-driven effort. His beautiful falsetto performance on “FIA (F--- It All)” a song with more emotional integrity than you would expect given its title. It is stunning, as is the groovy “Caught in the Middle.”

Lead single “Listen to Your Heart” charges ahead immediately, but it has the kind of drive and unflinching earnestness that you probably haven’t heard since the height of the '80s. The worst thing you can say about this record is that sometimes it crosses over into cheesy territory but the musicianship remains solid, with the jazzy backbone of building “Take a Little Time” or the gentle climb of “Blood.” In many ways you could easily imagine some of these anthems doing well stateside if given the chance. This seems like an album ripe for discovery, with its songs sounding like they could reach a greater audience. The driving “Best of Me” and the intense “Fallout” are filled with enough drama and yet they are palatable in a very mainstream way.

Odds are, this record will still do much better in England than here. This record may sometimes take itself a little too seriously, but it is a confident return to the spotlight for the band.

Focus Tracks:

“Caught in the Middle” This is wonderfully smooth and yet it has a commanding bounce. It’s definitely a high-quality, under-the-radar jam.

“Take a Little Time” This is definitely an exceedingly well-constructed number. It has a strong sense of determination that really pays off.

“FIA (F--- it All)" The title doesn’t fit the song, but this woozy six-minute jam is an extremely clear highlight.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s “The Echo of Pleasure”
****

While “The Echo of Pleasure” isn’t an unstoppable indie-rock monster like their debut, it does find leader Kip Berman reconnecting with what works. In nine tracks it rebuilds the band’s sense of integrity after band’s 2014 misfire, “Days of Abandon."

The fuzziness of “Anymore,” while not as lo-fi as some of the band’s peak work, acknowledges the bit of edge that was too often missing in the last cycle. Like “Belong,” this album plays up the group’s synth-driven side, too, but there are perhaps enough occasional squeals of feedback to please the band’s earliest champions. Opener “My Only” plays to both sides of the band quite well, while the expansive closer “Stay” is a warm, quiet ballad that suits the band.

Berman, too, is singing with more purpose and authority than ever before, which is a welcome development. A Sunny Day in Glasgow’s Jen Goma does some nice work too, taking lead on “So True,” which plays well to the band’s “new wave”-influenced side.

When a promising band stumbles it can be disappointing. When they then rebound it is that much more rewarding. This is a bit of a victory lap for Berman.

Focus Tracks:

“Anymore” The closest to them returning to their old sound we could hope for, this song churns and bubbles, shape-shifting to please fans of both the fuzz-pop and synth-rock sides of the band.

“The Echo of Pleasure” This very '80s slice of rocking synth-pop doesn’t sound the least bit flimsy. It sounds like a keyboard-driven track delivered with a rock-like sense of determination. It also has a strong, pop-flavored appeal.

“So True” Jen Goma takes the lead providing a very clear highlight.

Coming Up: New albums from Living Colour, Alvvays and more.

Missed the latest? Get the review of LCD Soundsystem's new album here.