Steve Winwood
About Time

Steve Winwood, one of the most famous multi-instrumentalists in the world. A great artist. Before embarking on his solo career, Steve was the leader of Traffic for almost thirty years, where he was not only the singer but also the brains of the group. He also played with Blind Faith, with whom he released only one album, the self-titled one in 1969. In his career, he has also released many compilations that gather his greatest hits.

Steve Winwood was born on May 12, 1948, in Great Barr, West Midlands, England. He fully lived through the most intense period in rock history, spanning the sixties and seventies. That was a period when new sounds were being experimented with and new musical genres were emerging, particularly in the United States and England. All this artistic fervor and musical innovation contributed to the formation of what later became a great musician. Steve Winwood was positively influenced by that historical period in rock history.

"About Time" is a work of great quality, confirming an artist who has always managed to compose intense, emotional music without ever compromising. For Steve Winwood, it was the album of maturity as a solo artist. "About Time" has been defined as an album of Latin music, but that's not exactly the case. There are Latin sounds, but the album presents a unique, original genre—a fusion between rock and ethnic sounds.

To compose the album, Steve is accompanied by Jose Neto on guitars and Walfredo Reyes Jr. on drums and percussion. The entire album is composed without bass. The sound that emerges is truly surprising; an intense, deep sound despite the absence of a fundamental instrument in music. The excellent flute and sax interventions are by Karl Denson.

The album opens with "Different Light," featuring a spectacular intro of organ and various keyboards, with the guitar being simply magnificent. Throughout the album, Steve plays a special, distinctive, edgy Hammond organ. As in the two tracks "Now That You're Alive" and "Phoenix Rising," where the simple yet intense organ sound is highlighted, which Steve plays like few others, with much passion. "Phoenix Rising," in particular, is a soul-Caribbean track with a compelling rhythm. "Cigano" is a track with folk-blues influences. "Bully" is a fusion of different genres: soul, blues, and Latin music. The most beautiful and intense track of the entire album is certainly "Take To The Final Hour," in which an inspired Steve Winwood composes a memorable song. A dialogue between guitars, percussion, and organ worth framing. Very well-executed is the cover of Timmy Thomas’ "Why Can't We Live Together." "Horizon" is the most melodic piece of the album. A dialogue between voice and guitar, with the organ in the background. It breaks the rhythm the album had followed until that point. The song that closes the album is "Silvia," a long ride. An improvised piece that highlights the live propensity of the entire album.

An album composed of songs that live render perfectly, compelling and intense. In this work, Steve manages to blend different music genres, resulting in a very original sound. From this album, various ethnic and Latin artists will draw inspiration, demonstrating the magnificence of this album. A great work from an artist who, throughout his career, has explored many genres, maintaining a unique freshness and originality in his albums, reaching very high levels.