Tag: Stevie Wonder

audio review : I Just Called To Say I Love You ( song ) … Stevie Wonder

The verses, in which Stevie lists to a special someone all the seasonal occasions he’s not calling for, sound Wonderful. They melodically and metaphorically warm the heart and are a joy to listen to. The problem with the song is that the chorus is comparatively lackluster.

If the structure has to be flawed, it should be the other way around. A song with a chorus that peaks during the verses is anticlimactic by default. Not to say it’s not a nice ballad because it is. Just to say it’s not great as it seems like it’s going to be before the chorus kicks in.

my rating : 4 of 5

1984

audio review : Characters ( album ) … Stevie Wonder

Characters ( album ) ... Stevie Wonder

The album title and photo suggest that Stevie Wonder isn’t singing as himself on these songs. If that’s the case, it might also suggest he wasn’t singing as himself on all those other songs. The concepts, in other words, aren’t much different than the ones he’s covered in the past; most notably, romantic and spiritual love. The characters he portrays are mostly loving and caring in some way or another.

He even plays the role of Christ. You Will Know, The Lord sings in response to the prayers of his troubled believers, “Trust and I will show.” The melody sounds about as soothing and reassuring as any good gospel ballad. It is thus fitting that after beginning the album on such a high note, he ends it with another uplifting song; a simile-laced poem entitled Free as in free of all those Earthly worries.

The best song is Skeletons, about people holding secrets and telling lies. The vocals soar like gossip breath and the Wonderfully-composed climax builds genuine suspense around the rumor mill, but the relentlessly funky beat also makes it a track you can dance to. That’s also the case with Dark And Lovely, an African lament featuring one of the most creative synth bass-line loops I’ve ever heard.

my rating : 4 of 5

1987

audio review : Someday At Christmas ( album ) … Stevie Wonder

audio review : Someday At Christmas ( album ) ... Stevie Wonder

The title song sounds like a new classic. It’s a Christmas anthem that’s better than most you’re already familiar with. There’s also a notable original about a Little Christmas Tree; a story that personifies what is perhaps the holiday’s most defining symbol.

What I don’t like is how those original songs are presented alongside traditional covers. The assortment is about half-and-half, but they go back and forth almost at random. That makes for an album that’s musically pleasing but conceptually sloppy.

my rating : 3 of 5

1967

audio review : A Time To Love ( album ) … Stevie Wonder

audio review : A Time To Love ( album ) ... Stevie Wonder

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