Stevie Wonder building up a head of steam (Innervisions - Stevie Wonder)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Innervisions - Stevie Wonder
Date:	04/05/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some outstanding songs and some great writing

Disadvantages: Some longs are too long and a couple are a bit weak

This is a classic Seventies album coming from Motown when Stevie Wonder was at his absolute peak as a singer and songwriter, this was made during a new period of consciousness from soul singers realising their words could touch people and make a difference. Created in 1973 it was part of his classic period and won him a grammy in 1974. For me 5 out of the 9 songs are great, the others are very good, but not as good as some of his other work, the standout tracks are 'Don't you worry bout a thing' and 'He's Misstra Know it all', both sound gentle but resonate with passion and bite. I haven't given this album 5 out of 5 simply because I only listen to it for 5 of the songs, some of the others are too long and the music isn't quite sharp enough to make it interesting for that length of time, nonetheless, this is an excellent album that is often voted in the top 50 albums ever and is really worth a listen if your trying to get into Stevie Wonder.




Too High - All electronic keyboards and drums, this is a riffy tune which sounds to me like its about drugs, being too high but never leaving the ground, it's about a girl whose superficial life comes crashing down, there are some wicked backing vocals on this tune, some real muppet moments (strange interesting high pitched melodies) and a long riff from the mouth organ, lyrically it doesn't tell us too much, it's a long song at over 5 minutes and the sounds are good but can be a bit samey after 3-4 minutes. Decent introduction but not Stevie at his best.

Visions - Another long song at 5 minutes 20 seconds, this is an album where Stevie seems to want to experiment and get some creative freedoms, this is a gentle song with acoustic guitar and piano underpinning his voice, it is a low pitched melancholy song about surprisingly enough dreams and visions, its quite an uplifting song despite its low pitched, underwhelming song. Its wonderfully produced.

Living for the City - This has a real build up immediately and the sound moves around confusing your senses, Stevie sounds amazing on this song, truly amazing vocal, this is a classic tune about how difficult it is living life in those times, as with a recent review of 'Whats going on', this is as relevant today as it was when made, talking about how hard it is to make a living and get enough to pay your taxes to the man. Love the organ based chorus and riffs on this one, its seven minutes long which is perhaps a bit over the top but the lyrics on this song are superb, the tune is a classic and soon as you hear it you'll recognise it.

Golden Lady - 5 minutes long, this begins with a lovely piano solo and then breaks into a funky beat and rhythm allowing Stevie to pace his love song to his Golden Lady, this is a nice song, but for me it doesn't have any punch or anything that makes it stand out from so many others he's made. Its decent but not great.

Higher Ground - This starts very funkily, nice beat which will later be used on Master Blaster and Jammin, or it sounds like it anyway, this is a wicked tune, this kicks into the whole era of anti-war demonstrations and a desire to change the social functions of society, the song is lyrically rich questioning war and greed and how life fits around that, this is a shorter song and it works better for it, its about somebody who wants to make their time on earth better for themselves and everyone else. Admirable sentiment.

Jesus Children of America

Well produced, this showcases Stevie's voice well, talking about spreading change through religion, its an interesting song, and is lyrically very strong, its nearly 5 minutes long and again is a tad too long, but it does hold your attention and is enjoyable enough without being a great song.

All in love is fair.

A piano based ballad, this totally showcases the beautiful voice of Mr Wonder, it is a nice song, but it seems to have a nasty underbelly, as if he has had to do something bad to win his love, the piano works well as does the drum and Wonder's voice is the stand out on this track.

Don't you worry bout a thing

For me this is possibly the best song on the album, love the latin sounding start with Stevie chatting some mad stuff and the drums and rhythm section exploding. This has a great riff, great rhythm, great vocals and a great arrangement, this is the catchiest song on the album and possibly the best song lyrically too, it talks about looking after his woman and helping her get off drugs, it's a really interesting and lovingly protective song. This is one of the two or three truly great songs on the album and it is due to putting the music over the lyrics.

He's Misstra Know it All

Another classic tune which women everywhere have played to their partners ever since, this is a classic arrangement, with Stevie on Piano singing about a man with a plan and a counterfeit dollar in his hand (Mr Nixon anyone), this is one of the softest and yet most deadly political songs ever, absolutely destroying Richard Nixon. Wonder sounds so sweet but his words are so destructive, it's a truly great song, the arrangement and piano work perfectly as do the backing vocals, this is a really interesting song.


My Verdict

This is a decent album, but to my mind it isn't one of the greats, its well produced and there are some classic songs, but for me there is also some filler and a great album for me is one where nearly every song is one I want to hear again. The new stream of consciousness on these tunes is great to hear and the music is developing, although at times I do find some of them are still quite simplistic and lacking a hook, this for me is nowhere near as good as 'Songs in the Key of Life' but there are a few songs which are amongst his best ever.

Many of the songs are a bit too long for my liking, which I understand if there are amazing stories to be told, or orchestras jamming, but many are simply an organ and drums doing a bit of riffing which isn't in any way exceptional.

Stevie's voice is varied and emotive on the album, his writing is interesting and some of his sentiments are very admirable. I love Don't you worry bout a thing, and he's Misstra Know it all especially, both are stinging social commentaries bundled up in lovely motown tunes, Stevie is developing at this stage and his words are like a good boxers punches, well judged and thrown at exactly the right moments.


How much does it cost?

Its £4.99 on Play.com and also available via Amazon, HMV and I-Tunes.

Summary: Building to his peak