This was the 1987 Grammy winner for best engineered non-classical recording.
More meticulously crafted than its predecessor ARC OF A DIVER, and more musically adventurous than its follow-up ROLL WITH IT, BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE represents the pinnacle of Steve Winwood's '80s pop output. High production values, interlocking percussion lines, R&B backing vocals, horns, synthesizers and ideas borrowed from various world musics enhance and update Winwood's proclivity for blues, R&B, and rock. His distinctive, blue-eyed soul vocals are, naturally, at the front of the mix as well.
The runaway Number One single, "Higher Love," with its syncopated groove, pan-African percussion, and slick Top-40 production, kicks off this accessible set. Elsewhere, the dance-gospel of "Wake Me Up on Judgment Day," the semi-acoustic title track, and the funk-touched "Split Decision" (which proves Winwood's R&B roots are still strong) keep the stylistic wheel turning. The record's success, sonically and commercially, should come as no surprise. Since his days in Traffic, Winwood has been a masterful stylistic synthesist, melding a range of aesthetics in ways that invariably connect with listeners. BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE is further proof of his remarkable abilities. minimize