New Stevie Wonder albums feel epic these days because he’s an iconic song artist, yes, but also because they’re so far and few between. Conversation Peace was released a decade ago and, if you consider the Jungle Fever soundtrack too conceptual to be considered an official Stevie Wonder album, the previous one (Characters) was released almost a decade before that. At this rate, A Time To Love will have to hold fans for a long time. Is it up for such a challenge?
As far as music instruments go, most everything here sounds fresh and new. Hard to find are the poppy snares and cheesy synths his (uptempo) songs took on back in the 1980s and 1990s. Even the dance numbers; What The Fuss and Please Don’t Hurt My Baby, led by fuzzy Parliament-like basslines; sound hip. Neither do I notice any major deterioration in the quality of Stevie Wonder’s voice. It still has that signature whine, which sounds wonderful over a gorgeous melody.
The problem is that as classic as these studio-polished songs, the finale of which nears a full ten minutes, may try to be, they lack that signature Stevie Wonder magic. Moon Blue is romantic and Shelter In The Rain serves as a notable gospel hymn, but most aren’t quite good in contrast to past albums. Even the aforementioned Conversation Peace sounds a little better. There aren’t any standout duds here, but you probably won’t be falling in Love with this album neither.
my rating : 3 of 5
2005