Stevland's Vision!

It's always tough to talk about one album to represent an artist's work as a whole. I am a huge fan of Stevie Wonders career. I have always liked his music and to pick just one album does not do the justice of a talent Stevie Wonder is to us. I have had the pleasure of seeing him twice in my life and both times I was floored. My only regret is not seeing either early in his career or in the 1970's when his career was at it's height. Most of the albums he put out in the 1970's are instant classics. To chose one was tough. It took a week to narrow down the albums and listen to them. I have them all on CD and I let the six disc changer in the car just do random and I would give each a listen. I even asked a few friend to pick their favorite Stevie Wonder album to see if most of my friends would share the same album. That did not work because each liked a different Stevie Wonder album. It was tough to pick just one. I even asked my uncle what to pick for an album and he laughed at me and told me it was like picking one of your children to leave behind. It was tough, I sat down one day just to figure it out. This is why the delay of Stevie Wonder was held out till now.

So It took a long time to decide, but I decided on Innervisions. You may debate what is your favorite Stevie Wonder album, but to me Innervisions is more personal then all his others. There are only nine song on the album, but each album has a unique Stevie Wonder feel. Each is also so great to hear more then once to hear the artistry of Stevie. I have yet to hear anyone cover, or at least make a great cover from Innervisions. I know Red Hot Chili Peppers did "Higher Ground," but that version was okay at best. In the various bootlegs I have, he really makes that song so much more then it is. Like "Superstition," "Higher Ground" is his Pop masterpiece. When I saw him he played the hits, and in my heart I wanted to hear the hidden gems. I did not hear "Don't Worry Bout A Thing" or "Living For The City."



His Seventies stuff is so great with me picking Innervisions it was tough to pin point what makes it so good. Because it's everything on that album that is great. He is a lot more political on this album as well. There are two great attacks on Richard Nixon on this album. There is the the hope of the American Dream faded too. Stevie Wonder's battle with Drugs. It's enough on one album to make you have it's attention. If it came out today, it would take two albums to get to the point.



I am very thankful that I got into him when I did. I knew about his talents as an early teenager. I used to play my dad's Motown albums and really have fun hearing the greatness in the talent of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross. I guess what my problem is trying to explain what makes him great to people who know how great he really is. Stevie Wonder is a person who when people ask me who are my top performers in music I always put Stevie up there. To people who don't his stuff then I suggest you start here. He had a great run of great albums. Enjoy a great musician and a man who we all know is one of the best. Sorry this could not be longer in telling you the excitement of him for me, but I just listen to him a lot. As I told you at the beginning hard to just pick one. Enjoy!