Arc of a Diver is the second solo studio album by singer/multi-instrumentalist
Steve Winwood. Released in 1980, Winwood played all of the instruments on the album.
Featuring his first solo hit, "
While You See a Chance" (which peaked at number 7 on the
Billboard Hot 100 in the United States), this was Winwood's breakthrough album as a solo artist. It peaked at number 3 on the
Billboard 200 album chart, establishing him as a commercially viable act.
The cover artwork for the album is by
Tony Wright. He took inspiration from Jazz by
Henri Matisse, notably VIII: Icarus.
Recording
The album was recorded at Winwood's Netherturkdonic Studios, built at his farm in Gloucestershire;[4] he played all the instruments, wrote all the music, producing and engineering it himself.[5]
Reviewing for The Village Voice in June 1981,
Robert Christgau credited Winwood for
overdubbing all his self-performed instruments, but still found his brand of "British-international groove" more atmospheric than song-oriented and ultimately "lulling".[10]Robert Palmer was more enthusiastic in The New York Times, saying that Winwood has transformed himself into a "rock traditionalist" with the album. While highlighting "Dust" and the album's title track as "first-rate lyrics", Palmer said that "Winwood's impressive playing and arranging and utterly distinctive vocals make several of his collaborations with Will Jennings, especially the brooding 'Night Train,' almost as memorable."[11] In a retrospective review for
AllMusic, William Ruhlmann wrote of the album, "Utterly unencumbered by the baggage of his long years in the music business, Winwood reinvents himself as a completely contemporary artist on this outstanding album, leading off with his best solo song, 'While You See a Chance'."[12]