Talking Back to the Night

Okay, so after missing with his first solo album, Steve Winwood had hit the jackpot with his second, Arc of a Diver, finally fulfilling his enormous promise. What did he do next? He returned to the record racks only a year-and-a-half later with this retread, which attempted to turn the "While You See a Chance" sound into a formula and to a large extent succeeded, unfortunately. "Valerie" (Number 70 U.S., Number 51 U.K.), the leadoff track, had that same keyboard sound and tempo, and Winwood kept it up for much of the rest of the record, including the album's biggest U.S. single, "Still in the Game" (Number 47). Fans were dismayed, and Talking Back to the Night had an even lower chart peak than Steve Winwood.