Songs In The Key Of Life

His best album

Songs In The Key Of Life accompanied me on a morning drive to Southampton, and I only just finished it door to door because it's SO BLOODY LONG. There are outstanding, historic songs on there, there's a lot of filler and there's some crap. This gets an easy 5/5 if it was 65 mins long and cuts out the waffle, it's a low 4 because it has too much waste, but the highs are so so good and it's testament to the quality that it's been such an influential piece of work covered and sampled by so many, while the original work still stands on its own too.

I think last time we had a Stevie Wonder album, it was very much quantity over quality. This has a better ratio of quality to filler, but you can't help thinking that it could be a 5/5 50 minute album, rather than what it is, which is 105 minutes of great soulful stuff interspersed with some songs that get pretty formulaic. When it's good, it's really good - the amount of bits that I recognise as samples from later work is ridiculous, which says something. 4/5, there's a top drawer 5/5 album in here, a 3/5 album, and a 2/5 album as well though! 4 seems about fair...

Love it.

Na Pet Sounds nog zo'n iconisch album deze week. Eens kijken of Stevie wel kan leveren. Ik zie al dat er best wat bekende nummers op deze dubbelaar staan. Maar we weten wel allemaal wat we van dubbelalbums vinden. Ik maak me op voor een lange zit. Hopelijk houdt Stevie er een beetje het tempo in, want een dubbelaar vol met trage zeiksoul, daar zit niemand op te wachten. Het ietwat overdrevene zit er uiteraard wel in, maar er zijn ook genoeg uptempo songs. I Wish is wat mij betreft het hoogtepunt. Lekker swingend, ik stoor me niet aan de toeters. Het is allemaal soms wel iets te zoet, met Isnt she Lovely natuurlijk als dieptepunt. Maar het heeft genoeg afwisseling om boeiend te blijven. Ik heb eerder Innervisions met een bonuspuntje een 5 gegeven, en Talking Book een 3. Ik vind dit een prima album en ik kan me wel voorstellen dat er mensen zijn voor wie dit een iconisch album is, maar ik vind het niet genoeg om bonuspunten uit te delen. Dat kan aan de verwachtingen liggen, of aan het feit dat het een dubbelalbum is. Hoe dan ook, 4 sterren lijkt me ook iets om mee naar huis te kunnen nemen.

Great vibe, so many hits, even a little prog in there. Another solid album, this man just did not miss.

Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life opens with a mellow, gospel-tinged track, setting the tone for an album that covers a wide range of genres over its ambitious hour and 48-minute runtime. While not every track fully lands, Wonder’s genius is undeniable throughout. Sir Duke is a standout with its infectious swagger, making even non-dancers feel like they could hit the floor. In fact, the best Stevie is the kind you can strut to. Though Wonder’s musicianship shines, his voice can feel a little thin at times, emphasizing the message of the songs more than the delivery. This works well for the material, though some tracks, like Ordinary Pain, come across as filler in an otherwise rich collection. Isn’t She Lovely is, as the title suggests, a lovely song, though the crying baby intro is a bit grating. Still, you can’t help but admire the sentiment, especially knowing the song was written for his daughter, Aisha, who even gets a credit on the Wikipedia page! A sprawling yet iconic album, Songs in the Key of Life earns a solid 4/5, with Sir Duke leading the pack.

Commonly regarded as one of the best albums of all time. It's definitely up there but I'm struggling to rate it 5 stars. Tons of great songs (Sir Duke, I Wish, Isn't She Lovely, As) but album is long at an hour and 45 minutes. Stevie Wonder is awesome though. 8/10 (4/5)

It’s astonishing to think this was Stevie’s eighteenth album. Most artists barely make it past one or two but to get to eighteen and still be making bangers songs is incredible. Ok so it could probably have done with being split into two great albums but can’t really knock it.

Dang, this thing is long. I had to listen to it in separate increments, because my pop music loving 5 year old child deemed it “too boring,” and “old people music.” However, even she liked Sir Duke and Pastime Paradise. Anyways, doesn’t matter what she thinks. I liked this boring, old people music.

Pretty good tbh didnt expect it to stand out from the pool of similar sounding blues stuff but it does

First time listening to Stevie Wonder after hearing about his greatness and I'm beginning to understand

So many classic groovy tunes!

Almost two Stevie albums back to back, blessed. This one is a bit longer and more drawn out than the previous. Couple bangers with a bunch of pretty good songs but I feel the last album was more tight and a masterpiece. 8/10

Absolute Klassiker auf dem Album.

The first song made me smile at 7am. It's good, but political in parts, which turned me off. I get it. I understand why it's political. It just doesn't apply to me. 8 min songs where it's just repeating itself are boring. I listened to every song without skipping though. Na na na naaaa, la lalalaaaaaa.

Only criticism is it’s quite long but some great songs on here.

Very solid, man's a genius. I appreciate the music for sure. Only 4 stars since this is not my genre though :)

"Oh! I'm invited to your wedding... AWESOME! Before I RSVP, please tell me if you plan on playing "Isn't She Lovely" at any point during the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception or afterparty... Oh, it is .. ? uhhh, I know we've been friends since we were in kindergarten and you helped me through my eating disorder and the death of my cats, all six of them, but perhaps consider changing the music lineup...? " Tho 'Isn't She' is on this album, both Talking Book and Songs in the Key of Life are the only Stevie Wonder my cats and I can listen to. It wasn't until I hit the wedding portion of my life that I discovered Stevie Wonder is surprisingly tolerable, even great.. That's because I grew up with Stevie Wonder singing "I Just Called To Say I Love You..." over and over on the radio relentlessly. This is a great album, maybe a little too long, but always a great listen, especially Sir Duke and I Wish.

It took two listens through, and I’m on board. I get a little lost during the extended instrumental passages, but always find my way back to the harmonious path. This is an emotionally evocative album with a lot too offer. Of the TW double album, I prefer the first.

I love Stevie Wonder and a few of my favorite songs of his are on this album. The prog instrumental is insane, then it gets followed by 4 incredible songs. Sad to say though that I was pretty much done with this album after "Ordinary Pain". But it just kept on going. Too long

Great singer. One for the lifetimes .Good songs.

I'm torn, on one had I can see how this album is so highly regarded but on the other hand the music just doesn't resonate with me. It's good music no doubt, but I personally would never really intentionally play it again. I think 4 stars is appropriate here.

This was a great album. I enjoyed the entire first disc, but the second half is where it lost me a bit. I think if it was trimmed down I would enjoy this album a lot more.

Landmark type album. Lots of grooves... Stevie doing his thing

I was excited to get this album because I know it’s a highly respected and beloved album, but I’m just not loving it as much as I expected. I don’t dislike it by any means, but I thought it would be an instant favorite for me and I’m not finding that to be the case. Perhaps my high expectations are causing me to be a bit more critical than I would otherwise be. I found myself enjoying the hits (which are powerhouses, no doubt) but mostly being underwhelmed by the other tracks. If I’m being honest with myself, I don’t love it enough to give it a 5. Interestingly, I found the second LP to be much stronger than the first (which I don’t often find to be the case for double albums). Overall, an enjoyable musical journey, but it’s a low 4 for me. Another Star is a straight banger though. 4/5 Highlights: Sir Duke Pastime Paradise Isn’t she lovely Black Man If It’s Magic As Another Star

groovy, funky sound - I can't believe I'd not heard the whole album before

Expansive album with lots of really nice, catchy and solid songs. Well worth the listen.

Fantastic album title and some great, great tunes here and there but long but then again I could listen to his drumming all day long. I think Innervisions was his peak for what I like about Stevie.

I appreciate it that this collection is doing its best to give us all more exposure to Stevie Wonder, and so far the albums seem like good exemplars. But for whatever reason--age, experience, musical preferences--I'm just not that big of a fan. Still. Nonetheless, an interesting album by Mr. Wonder, with his penchant for early synth sounds on full display, and an intriguing balance between easy listening and insightful lyrics and some harder-edged music as well. And while this album is about twice as long as I'd have preferred, to his credit there's not too much filler. (I'll admit I wasn't quite tolerant enough to listen to the 4-song EP that accompanied this double album.) My favorites on this were probably "Have a talk with God", "Sir Duke" and "Pastime paradise" (mainly because of Coolio's adaptation, I know). (I really wanted to enjoy "Village ghetto land", but the synth strings/organ-sounds *really* didn't work for me. And I'm not sure I'd call it a favorite, but I appreciated "Contusion" mainly for the Jeff Beck "Blow by Blow" vibe. Lastly, I appreciated what he was doing with "Black man", but it just feels a bit too long to make more than honorable mention.) I feel badly giving the album only 4 stars, especially given how much acclaim it's received, as well as being so influential to so many different types of artists, but it just doesn't work for me the way I wish it would, so I'm compromising between my experience (3-star enjoyment) and great-album status (presumably 5-stars). Sorry Stevie!

I enjoyed listening to this more than I expected to--Sir Duke and Pastime Paradise are great songs--and the rest of the music seems to me to be working up to the greatness of those two songs.

Yeeeesss my fave stevie album 💅🏾

A couple of weaker tracks on here, but still has that Stevie magic. I always feel like he had the ability to take cheesy lyrics and make them sound good. I've no idea how he did it. Oh, and Sir Duke is a certified classic.

So many bangers.

Wait….. Pastime paradise? Damn, how young I am to think that Gangster’s Paradise is an original song 🤦🏻‍♀️ Surprisingly, it’s the first album by Stevie Wonder that wasn’t an execution for me.

I'm not sure it needed to be a double album, but I wouldn't turn it off.

One of those consensus masterpieces that I've always been aware of but shockingly it took until today for me to sit and listen to the whole thing. And it's very easy to see why it's so loved and highly acclaimed by so many. So many iconic standards of soul and funk, some that I knew and some that were brand new to me. Some that frightened me on first listen; sounds I had no idea were being employed in the mid-70s and just a level of pure sexiness that is just unfair in these kinds of quantities. This is not my favourite kind of music and I don't own a lot of soul but it's clear how far ahead of his peers Stevie Wonder was and it's obviously a good starting point to dabble into the unfamiliar. I will be returning.

This was a great album, but man was it long. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

The first disc was amazing. Was thinking about five stars but then it started dragging a bit. Still an amazing album

What can I say that hasn’t already been said (by Eddie Murphy)? Stevie Wonder is a musical genius! 4.5⭐️

Party

I mean it's Stevie Wonder. His voice is so easy-going and authentic, I enjoyed this entire album.

Loved the gangsta's paradise cover

I liked it a lot but double albums are a tough go. Still a ton of songs that were amazing

I grew up listening to this album a lot and honestly never realized just how long it is which may be the only mark against it that it could be shortened. But still incredible songs

You can't beat the 1-2 punch of Sir Duke and I Wish. Great album, though its length caused it to get diluted from pure bangers to good music to vibe to. If it were a bit tighter in the tracklist it would be a 5.

Some classics. Not sure I’d listen to the album as a whole, but great vibe.

A really positive album with some great Stevie Wonder classics.

4 - Just a jolly listen, some great tracks some more mid, but nothing bad. I guess Pastime Paradise is the original gangster paradise, does that mean "Amish Paradise" is a parody parody? I liked disc 1 a lot more. The uncut, long songs on disc 2 could be a bit dragged out

This must be my favourite of Wonder’s albums - there are so many great songs on here and it doesn’t feel like a double album

This is my first time listening to this record from start to finish, but I have heard a majority of these songs before. This is a great R&B and soul album. Stevie is an incredible talent. I enjoyed it very much.

Ah, we’re back to the Stevie Wonder Russian roulette again. It’s the same story as ‘Talking Book’ really. He’s either really magnificently funky or dull as dishwater, with nothing inbetween. And this time that precarious balance extends across a double album. On balance I’ll take the extra excellent tracks as a positive here (there aren’t many albums that have this many bangers). So let’s mark it one more star than the single album! (I’m also assuming I’m not the only one who did a massive double take at ‘passtime paradise’. I never knew that Coolio had ripped that off so blatantly.)

Fantastic!

Light years beyond smooth Vastly emotional pop With funky breakdowns

this is good but wayyyy too long 4/5

Very relaxing voice mixed with great rhythms. Nice use of various instruments. I massively enjoyed the first half of the album and liked the second.

Great grooves

This was fun! I love "Sir Duke" of course. I feel like I don't have very many comments LOL but I enjoyed it, and I would listen again.

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this album, and I’ve added several songs to my playlist. However, when Contusion goes too far into jazz city, and the playtime is almost endless, I can’t give more than a 4.

The hits hit harder than most entire albums, so the parts that are a little weirder get pushed under the rug pretty quickly. Definitely enjoyable, but has flaws.

Thankfully, this was a much more enjoyable album compared to the last Stevie Wonder album I reviewed, especially considering it’s a double album. “Songs in the Key of Life” is a very soulful album that covers a lot of ground. It features a wide array of instruments, from traditional ones to horns, strings, harmonica, keyboards, and synthesizers. Another fun fact I learned while listening to this album is that Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” is a complete rip-off of Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise.”

One of the greatest albums of all time and for a damn good reason. It's groovy, it's soulful, it makes me feel alive and most importantly, ive listened to like half of this album despite never listening to this album you know something is influential when you have several "THAT'S WHERE THATS FROM?!" moments. Past time Paradise. Isn't She Lovely. Black Man. This is an album I'm gonna show my kids.

Stevie Wonder and this type of music have never really been my thing but I can easily recognize that this album was an accomplishment and while it's a bit too long, it's an enjoyable listen. I'd be remiss to give this anything less than a 4 even though it's not something I'd seek out.

initially while i was listening, i was worried that i wasnt going to like this especially since i finally have an excuse to listen to this. this one has been sitting in my listen list, but i never got to it because of its length. i wasnt really getting into it until i got to sir duke, then it picked up from there. unfortunately, i cant really say the same for the second half. isnt she lovely is great, but overall i felt like the first half was better than the second. as and another star were also great, but the hits in general on first half were better imo. despite this being almost 2 hours, i enjoyed the listen even after listening to it all in one go. 4 personal favs: i wish, pastime paradise, summer soft, another star

Some of Wonder’s best and most popular work, for good reason. Lots of song variety too, which felt fresh. Two discs felt like a lot, but still a great album.

Peak Stevie? Maybe.

This is good R&B/soul, well written, well interpreted, but it's a bit too long to my taste even though I can understand that if you're into the genre it's probably the best almost-2 hours you can spend. I'd put a 3.5 if I could, but let's round it to 4.

How can a person listen to this and not rate it at least a 4? I haven't actually heard a Stevie Wonder album coming into this... I was a bit sceptical going in, noting the length and the fact that this was like his eighteenth album or something. But luckily, this is just solid from beginning to end, and it was over before I knew it.

I liked it

Stevie Wonder is fantastic, this didn’t need to be a double album though.

An album I've been meaning to listen to, and it didn't disappoint.

Great album, one of the best!!

Didn’t realize Stevie was so influential on 90s rap. Solid background album to play while working. Best Song: Sir Duke

I'm giving this 4 stars. Let's be clear here, this album is from a genre that I despise. I normally can't stand Soul, R&B, Pop, Jazz-Soul, or anything vaguely related to these genres. I'm 425 albums in and my three worst genres are Soul, Pop, and World. This album should be getting a low rating from me based on the genre alone. However, I actually really enjoyed this. There were some tracks I knew, but hadn't know their names, but the majority of this material was new to me. I didn't get bored with the length, as there were enough changes in tempo and style to keep things moving along. It's just a really, really good album. I still couldn't quite bring myself to rate it as a 5 star album, even though I strongly believe that the quality here deserves that top rating. By my own voting standards, it's something I might listen to again, but it's not going on regular rotation, so 4 stars it is.

A wonderful classic, has so much soul

A good album, I liked Knock Me Off My Feet, Sir Duke and I Wish. I also didn't realize Gangster's Paradise was based off another song but Pastime Paradise is really good!

Lyrical,good songs im general. Storytelling in some songs is top tier and the whole sound is great

Favourite song - Sir duke

This would be a perfect album without some of the outros which seen to go on forever.

So many bangers on this one - it's an impressively massive double album with tracks that are just in the ether (Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely). Not as tight as Innervisions, but something I'll come back to again.

Blindingly good

My least favorite instruments are piano and horn and among my least favorite genres is R&B, yet this is a brilliant album of songs performed by a great artist. Still, not much fun for me - the quality is obvious, but it's not my cup of tea. Still.....

What an amazing album

The Soul record you have to listen to. Nearly 90 minutes long but each song super melodic and catchy. Wonder's velvet smooth sound is very beautiful to listen to. Songs have great production: sounds very clean. Like Mozart pieces. Fun and enjoyable. Political lyrics seems a bit cliched (still relevant though). Favorites: Love's in need of love today, Sir Duke, Joy inside my tears, Another star, Ebony Eyes.

I enjoyed most of this, and I understand its significance, influence and staying power. Stevie definitely had an ear, some funk and a solid groove. Several of these tracks are stapes of any 70’s pop or easy listening list. I should have known that Coolio borrowed basically the entire song of Gangstas Paradise from Stevie, but that was a surprise. Plays a little long and has some lulls, but I still give it a high mark all things considered. 4.25/5

This was a commitment to write and produce and just amazing that Stevie did this all at the age of 24-25. It was also a commitment to listen to in full and probably my only complaint due to its length. But damn…hard to argue against its cultural and industry relevance. A genre-spanning work that has some cheesy moments but overall grooves its way into forever top lists for a reason.

Hot start to the week! At his best, few can groove like Stevie. Like with any album this long, there’s some stuff I could do without and Stevie can get sappy at times, but obviously this is a great album.

A bit long for my tastes (both songs and album) but overall a solid groove and Stevie has endless talent, musicianship and creativity. You got a problem? Have a talk with gawd.

Both as a regular listener and as a song writer this album is amazing. both complex harmonically and catchy at the same time without discourage either group. It is a bit long though and it can be repetitive at some points. Allot of hits but also some less memorable tracks. If I had listened to this album when i grew up it would probably be a 5 but from one listen i rank it a 4.

It's a classic. I love it, BUT there are sections that lower the score. Specially forgettable songs like Saturn and If It's Magic. Plus the non-musical moments on Black Man and Isn't She Lovely hurt the replay value. There is some pure magic on this album, like Knocks Me Off My Feet, but I'm giving it a 4 overall.

It was better than expected! I thought about a sleepy soul record but his one has a lot energy and some very good lyrics too.

Not my thing but very good. Did not know that gangsta's Paradise was based on a song from this (or maybe it comes from even before that)

Många fina låtar.

4.5/5

7.5/10

brilliant

A bit of an odd one for me. There's nothing stand out bad here, and there are some absolute gems, but it just feels a bit bloated and too damn long. There's nothing wrong, but it just didn't grip me like The White Album or Physical Grafitti does.

This album is very long at 1h45m (double album plus an EP). It has a number of damned fine songs, but it is far too long and some of the songs don't really hold my attention. I found the lyrics rather banal. On the other hand, this is his 18th album and he was only 26. He must have been writing and recording songs at one hell of a pace!

A few songs are "easy listening", but that's not a fair assessment. The album is more of a total sonic experience in soul and R&B.

Love Stevie. I see how highly rated this is but for me it’s not quite up there with his very best because it’s a double album and it does overstay it’s welcome a bit. So it’s a 4

I'm of the opinion that any album longer than an hour usually has songs that could easily be cut and it would improve the album. Yes, every song on this album is between good and great, but even good and great songs lose their lustre when they go on too long. Now imagine a single album with only the best songs, it would've been so tight. Now it just meanders on at points, it is a shame.

Þetta var löng plata en stórkostlega gaman að hlusta á hana. Ég efast um að ég muni nokkurn tímann ná að hlusta á hana í heild sinni þar sem hún svona löng en ég mun alveg pottþétt setja hana á og hafa hana í bakgrunni. Þetta er nefnilega algjört gæðaefni.

Beautiful

Crazy not to get bored of an album this long, but it was a blast from start to finish!

East listening with some great songs!

Such a good album and easy to listen to. There are some greats on the album, but not something I would listen to all the way through regularly.

I didn't know that his song "Pastime Paradise" was sampled for Gangsters Paradise. This is the case where a song can make an album.

Really enjoyed this! So many classics and such variety in style overall, really loved it.

Great album, well deserved as one of the top of that era. Maybe goes on a bit too long but a very enjoyable listen. Haven't given Stevie Wonder too much airplay before but he's a fantastic artist. Can't believe this is his 18th album!

Amazing production and instrumentals. Stevie Wonder has a voice that doesn’t even sound real. I’ve already listened to this album before.

my only real complaint is that Black Man is just We Didn't Start the Fire for 1970's American race relations and it is the longest track here which makes it stick out. Moments where the album drags (Ordinary Pain, Black Man/Ngicuela) are immediately followed by highlights (Isn't She Lovely, If It's Magic) and preceded by highlights (the run from Sir Duke to Summertime Soft, Joy Inside My Tears). One of the few albums where I knew it was a classic from a first listen, it's an absolute titan of soul and melody. The strings on Village Ghetto Land and the harmonica on Isn't She Lovely are my two favorites pieces of the music on Songs in the Key of Life. This could easily be a 5/5 on further listens if I warm up to those previously mentioned drags.

Sir duke, isn’t she lovely, I wish, pastime paradise. Interesting, diverse, fun album. Love

Great album. Sprawling, hopeful, touching, loose. Has some of the greatest songs of all time (Isn't She Lovely, Sir Duke) and it really does instill some form of optimism. Stevie will always be a legend in originality

Didn't get to the end of it because of time. Need to go back later

When the songs hit, they really hit, but this is way too long. Could definitely cut at least 2 songs, and eliminate some of the overly long codas that are in nearly every song. Sir Duke stays one of the greatest songs ever though. Contusion is an awesome prog jazz fusion thing. I Wish is an absolute bop.

Hovering between 3 and 4 star. The good songs are great but there are a few fillers. But there's something good about having fillers ...

1. Love's In Need of Love Today - The introduction reminds of Jacob Collier in some ways. Really nice bass parts in the verse of the song. Really nice and simple approach to the instrumental at the moment, the vocal harmonies really add to the mellow atmosphere. The mixing on the track is also really well done, Stevie's voice is placed in a very good spot in the mix. Like a lot of Stevie tracks i've heard, it serves as a great groove/jam song, going over the same or similar chord progressions. Lyrics aren't particularly strong but they carry the theme very well. The ending is drawn out, but in this case I don't really mind, for a first track, it does really well to ease the listener into the entire album. 2. Have a Talk With God - Such a funky sound coming from this one, really like the keys and what i'm guessing is bass. Feels very extra terrestrial, really like Stevie's vocal take on this track, really adds to the groove. Quite a progressive track for 1976, is quite a refreshing sound to listen to, branches off from Stevie's usual style. Overall really like this track. 3. Village Ghetto Land - Really appreciating the stylistic range the album has so far, the strings on this track are really pleasant, and oddly suits Stevie's voice. The blend of classical instrumentation with a blues like vocal tone does a great job, makes you pay a lot more attention to the lyrics of the song. I also appreciate the fact that they didn't use any other instruments on this track, especially leaving out timpani or anything like that, really does a good job. 4. Contusion - The crunchy chords on this track go really hard, the guitar and bass communication is really nice, very fun song to listen to. Really good instrumentation, the guitarist knows what they are doing, bass player doing a great job also. The drums are nice, I feel like they could play maybe a little bit looser or experiment a bit further with the grooves. I find it interesting to place this Jazz/Funk fusion on this album in particular, doesn't necessarily go against the theme of the album but is an interesting and potentially jarring transition to go from the previous track to this one. Really love the key playing on this track as always. 5. Sir Duke - Classic track, super fun to play with a group of people, there's a lot you can do with those chords. Melody in the introduction is really strong, the muted guitar is doing a really good job. The chromatic bridge motif might be my favourite part of the song. The instrumental part C section is super tight, very fun to listen to (hard to play well lol). I feel that the players are enjoying themselves while playing, which seeps into the listening experience as well. Not much more to say about the track, everything plays their role perfectly and doesn't overstep into other areas of the song. 6. I Wish - Absolutely love the groove on this one, feels the most refined and well developed so far. Nice chord progressions, really helps build the tension into some areas of the song. Very fun to hum along to the vocals but also very much the instrumental, mainly the horns. Probably my favourite track so far, overall just really fun to listen to manages to remain fresh throughout the entire song. 7. Knocks Me Off My Feet - I could imagine a lot of people sampling this track, very mellow, and is definitely a good song to unwind after the previous two tracks. Really love the melodic nature of all the tracks on the album, makes each listen really unique as you can focus on an entirely different part of the song and still discover new things about it. Really like the drum part on this song carries the tune quite well. The key change was really well done I thought, the keyboard run down made it feel very seamless. The singing is very amazing. 8. Pastime Paradise - Really interesting start to the track, had no idea that this song was THIS song. Really nice mood change in the album, feels like it has combined the classical strings and funk of the previous songs to make a sombre yet groovy track. Feels like Stevie has taken a much more serious approach on this track vocally, which is an interesting and cool thing to see. Love the gospel like outro. 9. Summer Soft - Really pretty song, despite being quite personal and heartfelt, it manages to maintain a lot of momentum, especially after the bass kicks in. Really love the harmony and chord changes in this piece, it does it's best to surprise you and you are unsure of where it's going to next which I love. When the piece picks up after the half way mark, it hits so hard, and is one of my favourite moments of the album. Stevie really hits it home with the vocal take at the end as well, feels like they poured a lot of their soul onto this track. The keys in the outro are very brilliant, shows off Stevies supreme talent. 10. Ordinary Pain - Since the first second, it feels like a create song to rap up the first disc. Contextually, it feels like a very nice piece to land on, after going through such a variety of sounds and feelings. The longer the track goes the more it ages I feel, however considering this album is 1 hour and 45 minutes long it isn't so bad. The change up near the halfway mark is super nice though, was very surprisingly and made me get back into the track. I like the different perspectives the lyrics take on this song, feels like quite a story focused song. Pretty solid backing track on this song, it's a little difficult to pick out a lot of the niche details of each part, as it feels like a solid wall of sound. Really brilliant songs here, all of them are so melodic and interesting to listen to. I'm not going to do the second half of the album because I don't have enough time, but a lot of those tracks I know for a fact that they are very strong. Beautiful album which its influence has gone far and wide. Rating: 9/10

Biggest bangers, but the rest of the album could do with a little more fun

This album is wildly long. It's almost hard to review since it has so much content. Some of it is clearly 5/5 but this could be tighter but I'll add this to the list of it may have just been the wrong day for me. Sir Duke is wildly good, especially the instrumental stuff going on. I can barely keep track of it all and it jives perfectly.

Once again his talent is undeniable. His musicianship and the people he works with amazing. As an album this was very hard to process in one day. Sonically overall for me a 4, I think the copy I was listening to hurt this, it was laking a certain warmth that maybe a vinyl listen would bring. I'm listening again as I write this and I'm on Another Star, (ironic?) this track is a 5. Maybe I'll re visit this album some day but for now it's a very strong 4 for me.

Bangers, bangers, bangers. Dit is echt een beetje het best of album van Stevie. Nadeel: De beste man heeft heel veel hele goede nummers. Waarom is dit een nadeel denk je nu vast? Omdat dit album een uur en 45(!!!!!!!!!!!!!) minuten duurt. Bijna 2 uur!?!?!??! En dan denk je dan pak je alleen de normale versie... MAAR DAT IS DE NORMALE VERSIE Stevie wat de neuk ouwe... Het zijn bangers hoor, begrijp me niet verkeerd. En ik verveel me niet, maar na een uur Stevie, wil ik toch ook wel eens iets anders! En toch... En toch is dit album gewoon puur vuur. Toch zijn de nummers die niet als favo gemarkeerd zijn allemaal echt lekker. Ze zijn gewoon net niet favo'tjes. Toch is Pastime Paradise iconisch, zelfs al is Gangsta's Paradise nog iconischer. De hits kennen we natuurlijk allemaal al(Isn't she lovely staat pas op disc 2 he, craaaazy) Maar toch raad ik je absoluut aan als je dit album nog nooit helemaal hebt geluisterd, doe het een keer. Nummers als Knocks me off my feet en Summer Soft zijn echt geweldig en verdienen meer aandacht. Maarja, het is voor mij geen 5 sterren album, daar is het toch echt net ff te lang voor. Wel een fantastisch album en absoluut een aanrader voor iedereen die kan genieten van Stevie's hits. Oftewel iedereen die ooit op een feest is geweest waar een band speelde. FAVO: Have a talk with god,Contusion, Sir Duke, I wish, Knocks me off my feet, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, As

Supposed all timer. Extremely good but perhaps a bit of its time.

I feel like, as one of the most famous albums of all time, this one is kind of weird because it only has a couple of songs that everyone would know. Really I bet if you asked random people if they'd heard of this record almost all of them would say yes but then if you asked to name 3 songs from the album, most people couldn't. But it's a great record. I mean it's Stevie Wonder, how can it be bad? Solid 4/5 from me.

So long but still consistent.

This feels like an album that everyone should know about. Classic Stevie just oozing with personality. If it was condensed (which I’m sure there’s a version) then it would be a 5. But with a few songs that didn’t quite hit, bouncing it back to a 4.

Inte igen visade sig bli. Vilken tur det kom lite Stevie igen. Den här skivan är mycket bättre än förra. Village Ghetto Land är en intressant låt. Kul att han kör någon slags 1700-tals vibe på den. Sir Duke är svår att inte älska. I Wish en höjdare. Och hallå Pastime Paradise är inte alls en Coolio låt. Mindblown!!! Att det är hans 18e skiva hörs inte alls. Den här är ju pigg och nyskapande inte alls trött och tråkig.

Lyssnat på denna 3 ggr nu och den växer för varje gång. Misstänker att den kommer att fortsätta växa med fler lyssningar.

This was a great album. I enjoyed almost all of it. I do think it trailed off a little on tail end of the second album though. I will definitely listen again. 4.5 stars

Ok so the last SW album I was given (Talking Book) was a complete disappointment, this one is NOT! Really good throughout, everyone knows the hits but the rest of the album is just as good. Highly recommend.

An amazing album as well

Let’s go Stevie, this one is on many ‘must listen’ lists Nice work, I can see how this is beloved. I may revisit a few songs, but overall not my style Double album. Liked the first to second. Some electronic sounds, reminds me of beck. Got slow immediately with 3, then plodded through a lot of very nice but rather similaresque easy listening songs. Some really good stuff especially second disc, more upbeat. Fantastic album overall, glad I’ve heard it. Probably won’t revisit but a song or two.

Fast alles Klassiker von Stevie

Great album, with some odd choices.

Some hits here!

I think the most uplifting album of all time for me, it can make any rainy day shine :)

Stevie Wonder was at the height of his powers - musically, politically and lyrically - in the 1970s, and 'Songs in the key of life' is a fine example, though as a somewhat sprawling and uneven double album, it's a bit of a mixed bag. 'Sir Duke' is a rousing call for a national day to celebrate the life of MLK jr, 'Past time paradise' is a brooding number, though its power is rather diluted by over familiarity with Coolio's 'Gangster's paradise', but the standouts are surely the beautiful, heartfelt 'As' and the frantic, nostalgic and exciting 'I wish' ("You nasty boy!"), which I remember being bowled over by when I first heard it on TOTP in 1976. Overall, a rather joyous listen!

Brilliant album that I own on vinyl.

Nice album - timeless - plays as well now as art did 40+ years ago. There a some hits you will know, but not needed to enjoy the songs - range from pop to r&B and some good funk

So groovy. Joy Inside My Tears is my favourite song I think.

This is an excellent album -- even the songs I didn't know were good. I'm so glad I got to listen to this straight through.

Good but like kinda long

While it’s mostly good(and very often great) it’s so over blown and every single song is longer than it needs to be.

An album I can see musicians being inspired by. An odd body of work unsure how I feel bout it overall. It’s not bad tho just weird, may need to relisten

An immaculate first half followed by a pretty lengthy and self-indulgent second half. Still, there is so much good music here that it barely matters. A bright and joyful album. Best song: Sir Duke

This is definitely a classic amazing album. I like a lot of songs on there and the ones I didn’t I didn’t have to wait for long before another one came in that I did like.

I mean it’s Stevie Wonder. Instant classic. 4/5

wonderweekend :D :D :D

Long album but unique

I love how whacky the instrumentals are on Have a Talk With God. Some fun electronic sounding stuff. This album actually just has a wide variety of styles and sounds that make it interesting. Contusion caught me off guard because I didn't really expect a random instrumental prog song in this record haha. I've never noticed all the weird sound effects in Isn't She Lovely. Honestly I think that song probably could have done without all those lol. Wow this is one long record. It was pretty enjoyable overall but it took me all day tp get through.

Honestly I don't feel like it's QUITE a 5 for me, but like all Stevie Wonder albums it's got some crazy good songs on it. Sick ass bass playing on this too. And didn't feel as long as it was, even though it still feels long as hell tbh. I don't know, I'm tempted to give it the ol' 4.5-rounded-up, but... Perhaps not. Maybe on the relistens, but again, it's long as hell and that's kind of a commitment lol. It's still EASILY a 4 just for the singles though.

Een behoooorlijke knalpijp. Wat een legende zeg, hebben blijkbaar 130 mensen ofzo aan gewerkt. Beste nummer: Sir Duke.

I’m gonna make every song I write in the key of life if it sounds this good (shitty joke).

A few dramatic singing songs but overall great experience and some great instrumentation

I liked this double (?) album better than the other of his that I listened to. It had more upbeat music mixed in. I love his voice and talent!

A very quality album. Not one that I’ll listen to again but one that just flew by while I listened to it. That did not feel as long as it was. Some really great songs here. 8/10 Top 3: 1. Sir Duke 2. Love’s In Need Of Love Today 3. Knocks Me Off My Feet

A little all over the place and some songs seemed to go on forever, but its Stevie Wonder!

There are some really great songs on this, but I can't give it more than 4 stars. It's influential, and I can hear/get that, but some songs are just too long for me to really get into. 4/5

seemed fine, couple solid ones

Discazo con canciones casi perfectas.

Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life is a sprawling masterpiece, overflowing with ambition and musicality. It tackles love, social issues, and spirituality with infectious optimism and Wonder's signature soulful brilliance. Tracks like "Sir Duke" and "I Wish" are undeniable classics, while deeper cuts explore complex themes. Did you know the loudest frog in the world, the Lithobates catesbeianus, or bullfrog, can be heard from a quarter mile away? Its deafening croak is used to attract mates and defend territory. Back to the album! While the size is daunting - a double LP with an accompanying EP - it's a testament to Wonder's creative fire. Some moments feel indulgent, and the emotional rollercoaster can be jarring at times. Overall, Songs in the Key of Life is a landmark achievement. While its length might require dedication from the listener, the rewards are plentiful. **4 out of 5 stars**

If you’ve never listened to this your life hasn’t been worth being alive for. Every single track on this record is legendary. Honestly this is another one that truly deserves to be a requirement for anyone who likes music in any capacity. Love songs, funk, soul, gospel, all of the best of the best of this time frame for ol Stevie after the Motown years. Reminds me of music on a Saturday morning helping mom wash the curtains. The production is also incredible. Music made in the mid to late 70’s had so much spirit and emotion behind it and this captures it perfectly.

Stevie Wonder is another absolute legend! I enjoy his music although I rarely seek it out specifically. I enjoyed this album, including the electric guitar riffs! Great tunes!

I've heard a lot about Stevie Wonder but this is the first album of his that I have listened to all the way through. I enjoyed and there were pretty much no skips. I don't normally listen to this genre but the album was pleasant to have on in the background. Favourites were contusion, sir duke, summer soft, saturn, and ebony eyes. 4/5

Stevie Wonder definitely a talented singer song writer. This was a huge success in the 70s

There's a lot of music here. Some of it quite beautiful, could have done without the 'Village Ghetto Land' strings and the POC history lesson. Unknown songs like 'Saturn' are better then much of the stuff, this app has forced me to listen to. Talkin' to you Morrissey, OMD and Talk, Talk. 4*

Kyllä, tämä on välillä imelää, jazzahtavaa jne. Mutta levyn melodisuus on samalla niin sujuvaa, vaivatonta ja kekseliästä, svengi niin tauotonta, että en voi estää nautintoa heräämästä. Kaikkien pitäisi kuulla tämä ainakin kerran.

pretty good

Spiritual, mournful, uplifting, funky. Super solid throughout. Will revisit this one again.

Some classic Stevie Wonder and some tracks I haven’t heard. Very enjoyable

This record is just full of incredible music, plain and simple. Stevie Wonder has one of the greatest, most iconic voices of all time - combined with his incredible ear for melody. This album is one of his best works and is packed with wonderful hits along with interesting experiementation and diverse genres of music. My only real criticism is that, as with most double albums it becomes a little too bloated and unfocused at times. It's a record I prefer dipping in and out of, rather than listening through as one.

Real nice

"Songs in the Key of Life" is a joyous double album by Stevie Wonder. A commercial and critical success, this album, containing hits such as "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke," received countless accolades. This album was also hugely inspirational with covers, reworks, and credits from other strong artists.

A truly gorgeous album that has a lot of standout moments even on a first listen through. Where it falls down, and I acknowledge this is a thing about my taste, is the songs tend to overstay their welcome. But I'll certainly listen to this some more in future.

Favoritlåt från albumet var: Contusion Albumet får 4/5 stjärnor. Det var väldigt långt vilket var lite frustrerande, men hans röst var verkligen jätte fin!!

Contusion might be my favourite? Several songs to add to the playlist, also finally learnt the names of several famous songs (As, Sir Duke). An enjoyable album. Some go on a bit long and are a bit repetitive, which is good to an extent but makes the album feel a bit long to listen to as a whole work.

Soul, Rhythmus & Blues vom Feinsten. Ebnete mit seiner Musik für viele Soulmusiker den Weg in die Charts. Charismatischer Musiker mit dem Gefühl für die Musik, die die Menschen in den 70er und 80er hören wollten. Dies war sein erstes Album, das mir die Ohren für seine Musik öffnete.

I particularly like Sir Duke, Have a Talk with God and Contusion, but I like most of the songs except not as much for the few slower songs

Never was much of a Stevie fan and was a bit worried when I saw this album was an hour and 45 minutes. I remember the album and cover, but never listened to the whole thing since it came out in ‘76. This time around, I figured it would be another from the 1001 really lonnng albums list. Not the case! It’s stacked with enough good songs that flow so I was surprised when it ended. Contusion, Sir Duke, and I Wish (best song) seem like an incredible threefer from a greatest hits album. Also, didn’t realize Stevie was an OG til I heard Pastime Paradise. This album works start to finish. (4.4*s)

Great album. First time hearing this. He is always such a great listen, even caught him live.

It’s a classic, obviously. But it really is bloated.

Pretty, pretty groovy. Some absolute bangers, bit of schmaltzy stuff but Stevie is that kinda guy, at least he's honest in his virtues.

A lot to listen too. My father had the album and only listened to I Wish and Sir Duke off it. The juxtaposition of the lyrical content versus the melody that accompanies it on Village Ghetto Land made me go back after my first listening through the album and read all the lyrics. Stevie is a true artist.

Someone gave this to me on vinyl recently. I listened and really liked it but not as much as Innervisions

Great album, I was surprised how many songs have been sampled in more recent works! I found it a bit too long, that would be my only reservation.

Soul progresivo, R&B. Está bien. Un 4.

Strong 4

This was a lot of fun. I'd come back.

some excellent singles, some very forward thinking tracks, and some others that are ok but overall an important and influential album that still holds up

Very nice music, but the album was kind of long for my taste.

If you let a genius go on too long, it becomes tiresome like everything else. Some editing of these songs would have made this a tight, fantastic single album. 7 minutes?! Wrap it up!

Bangers within -- though I find the record a bit too long for one sitting.

Ja veel lekkere nummertjes hierop, verbaasd over de OG pastime paradise, ik was dit al mee aan het rappen

Nice, paar herkenbare platen. Pastime paradise die later uitgroeide tot gangsters paradise. En, ik wist niet dat Spotify nog in CD’s werkte!

This album is great, enjoyable, relaxing, cool, has everything on it. I'm suprised how this album was the eighteen studio album of Stevie Wonder, and how essential it was for his career. LOVELY!!

I think this is by far Stevie Wonder’s best album ever made. The classic harmonica songs made for easy listening. The most popular songs just take me back to my Moms station wagon reminding me of those classic ‘70s songs that would pop up on the radio. The theme for me was all about love.

There are a lot of songs I love. Sir Duke is one I remember friends trying to arrange just for fun. Think I am drawn to the horns in this album. Could do without the vamping in some songs, but generally like anything Stevie Winder does.

Stevie can sing. Great album. Some songs are waaaaaayyyy too long. Also just recently watched a documentary on We Are The World and could see his genius. That with growing up listening to this from my parents collection gives it a 4.

One of the greats!

8.5/10 album, the album was really soulful cover art was create, i just thought that the track list is really slow paced and the album didn't really had something that would pack a punch to make it more impactful

Muy bueno!

Love's In Need Of Love Today: 5/5 Have A Talk With God: 3/5 Village Ghetto Land: 3/5 Contusion: 4/5 Sir Duke: 5/5 I Wish: 5/5 Knocks Me Off My Feet: 4/5 Pastime Paradise: 4/5 Summer Soft: 3/5 Ordinary Pain: 4/5 Isn't She Lovely: 5/5 Joy Inside My Tears: 4/5 Black Man: 3/5 Ngiculela-Es una Historia- I Am Singing: 3/5 If It's Magic: 5/5 As: 5/5 Another Star: 4/5 Saturn: 5/5 Ebony Eyes: 4/5 All Day Sucker: 3/5 Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call): 3/5 Avg.: 4.0

Best Song: Sir Duke. Something about this song just sounds joyful. Worst Song: Have A Talk With God. I just don't find this kind of soft, hymnal ballad all that interesting, especially considering what Stevie shows he's capable of on this very album. Overall: The highest are real highest - the real pinnacle of this genre of soul/pop/R&B - and it is packed with so many good, upbeat, soulful dance tracks. The only thing that brings it down is that in that massive runtime, there are a few slow duds that bloat an otherwise excellent experience.

He's a genius and icon, but not my cup of tea.

nice clean production. will listen to again - some interesting bits in here that I'd like to return to and further digest. also gangsters paradise

OK, I like Stevie Wonder. I'm familiar w/ a lot of his big songs. I grew up hearing him on the radio, & seeing him on Sesame Street and even as a special guest on The Cosby Show (yeah yeah, we didn't know back then). \"Isn't She Lovely?\", \"Sir Duke\", and \"As\" -- I've heard all those before. But my jaw hit the table when \"Pastime Paradise\" came on. Wait- this is... COOLIO? WHAT? It's like growing up with MC Hammer & then hearing Superfreak for the first time. Overall? Some good songs, some filler. It's looong (nearly 1.5h, longer if you include the \"bonus\" 7\" EP tracks), and some of the synth sounds are definitely dated. If you dig that 70s sound, go for it. If you're just getting into Stevie, maybe go for more of his 80s (or later) stuff.

love stevie wonder and there are some classics on here. didnt hit how i thought it would though. realized this is where gangsters paradise is sampled from !

I’m ashamed to admit I went into this expecting it to be mediocre. To be honest, I don’t think I could’ve named a song by Stevie Wonder before listening - I’ve heard the hits, of course, but I didn’t put a name to them. All that to say, it’s a really, really good album. I seriously wavered on giving it a 5, which is probably what it deserves, but I do think it was a little too long. Maybe I’d bump it up on a second listen.

very cool and consistent, just not for me

A couple things surprised me about this album. First, this is his 18th studio album. I had no idea he had so many. Second, more times than not, 2 hour albums have a lot of fill. This album was very good to great all the way through. Going from some beautiful songs to songs that just make you groove in your seat. This album had plenty of both. I bet many heard Pastime Paradise and thought, "this is a Coolio song." No, this is a Stevie Wonder song and the more you listen to 70-80's funk/soul/hip hop, the more you realize most the stuff from the 90's and 2000's were samples or just the music of the original's. And it most cases, the originals are much much better. So many good thing to say and I could probably spend a few minutes talking about each song. Definitely remember a few songs from the radio as a kid like Sir Duke and Isn't She Lovely. A few other songs really stood out for different reasons, but these a few of my favorites; I Wish, If It's Magic, All Day Sucker and Saturn. But again, there was something to appreciate is just about every song. A couple negatives and I'm getting a little nitpicky here, but I seem to do that in these reviews. It was a little long and maybe a few songs could have been cut short. Yea, I know, nitpicky, but my biggest complaint was the song Another Star. What's with all the flute? Great artist, great singing style and some awesome songs. These are the kind of albums I enjoy, realizing a good artist has some much great material you may have missed and you are happily reintroduced. This is a solid 4 for me. Put this album on, let the genre play out through the day and you will have a good day of listening to music. 4

4 Okay, right out of the gate, I have to touch on the fact that I previously mentioned in my Fulfillingness' First Finale review that one of the songs gave me Super Mario 64 vibes, but holy shit, Sir Duke here is quite literally the Bob-Omb Battlefield theme from the same game. What the hell is going on? Is the Super Mario composer just a big Stevie Wonder fan, or is there a larger conspiracy at play? Anyway, that out of the way - I gotta say, I thought the last two Stevie Wonder albums that we had were decent, but this really showcased for me what people love about him. Every song out of the 21 here just has a fun energy to it and is unique both musically and topically, really highlighting Stevie's diverse skillset as a songwriter and performer (it was also super cool hearing the origin of Gangsta’s Paradise). Honestly, my only real complaint about the album is that it’s just a touch too long, though it’s really not an issue with the number of songs present (there isn’t a single one I would point to as being a skip or removal-worthy), but I do think a few tracks - as great as they are - go on just a bit too long. Don’t get me wrong, my favorite stretch of songs here was Isn’t She Lovely to Black Man, but I think each (as well as a handful of other tracks) could stand to have maybe a couple minutes cut off of them. It’s probably sacrilege to say that about any song on this album or by Stevie Wonder for that matter, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have the thought. Also, I guess the last four songs that are included on Spotify aren’t technically on the album per se, as they were originally put onto a bonus EP bundled with the vinyl, and though they aren’t an unwelcome addition by any means, I don’t think they do a lot to add to the album or outshine anything already heard. Still, absolutely nothing bad here for a near two-hour album, which isn’t something I think a lot of artists could pull off, especially as someone as deep into their career as Stevie already was here. It’s not quite the kind of thing to register as a 5/5 in my book (at least not at this point in time), but I gotta say, if you hate this, then I would question if you hate music.

Hit after hit

Really enjoyed this intro to Stevie wonder, he has a magnificent voice. Saved a decent amount of these.

Another surprise. A Stevie Wonder album which is listenable, but actually really good? Yes. Some bangers on here like 'Pasttime Paradise', who'd have thought it was turned into 'Gangstas Paradise' by Coolio! One learns a new thing every day. 'As' is a beast too. This whole album lives up to the expectations which Wikipedia gives it. Really enjoyed this and it was nice to sway my head to in a very odd way while listening to it. A mid 4.

great album, another star is an amazing closer

Really enjoyed. Stevie Wonder has a great voice. I can’t really describe why but I just really vibed with this album. Also learned about Pastime Paradise and that blew my mind.

It was a great experience, wasn't really a fan of this kind of music but I think that Stevie Wonder transfers a very joyful and happy sentiment to the listener

Magical 🧙

songs in the key of life... sounds like gospel music in a good way some of these songs are kinda romantic, and maybe it's my 18-year-old self but i don't like romantic songs. bc i listen... and then i think... and then i get uncomfortable. (loving someone in a non platonic way?? ew) contusion...ate. that was a good song. I (on my iPhone now) I hear a lot of familiar sounds so either people have sampled this album a lot or this album used a lot of familiar samples Knocks me off my feet is good! His voice is really good Pastime paradise??? Okay this is weird. So many songs are based off this album (I’m assuming they’re inspired by him because it would be weird for this gentle loving guy to do a spinoff on a song called “Gangsta’s Paradise” Summer soft reminds me of Romeo and Juliet Baz Luhrmann ver idk why.

Buen álbum, incluye una conocida canción que me gusta y que no sabía cómo se llamaba

Iconic album that has been so influential and is a joy to listen to!

This album contains the number one song played at weddings. Even weddings where English isn't spoken. That should rate it as a five, right? Right?

Though it is definitely a bit long for my tastes, there's a lot of solid stevie wonder content here. Melodic, soulful, smooth pop. At times, I'm not as into the funky-jazz angle (Contusion, Black Man), but also all the rest is easy to enjoy, with a few world class hits. Definitely enjoyed.

Love this album. As is my favorite.

Yllättävän hyvä, saattaisin laittaa soimaan uudelleen

Funky

Growing up in the 1970’s, my school friends referred to me as a closet Stevie Wonder fan. That’s because we were all long haired heavy rock fans and it wasn’t cool to like Stevie. That being said, I never owned this album. Nor did I ever have the chance to listen to it in its entirety. I am familiar with a number of the tunes but listening to all of them as part of an album is awesome. I was lucky enough to have seen Stevie perform in the 1970’s in a free concert at the L.A. Street Scene. He was fantastic. I boldly profess I am officially out of the closet.

Hits and little knowns.

A classic

Cool enough. It got better after "pasttime paradise"... wonder-ful

Today we have another Stevie album. Every time I’ve been generated one so far, I’ve commented that his best song (Sir Duke) wasn’t on it. Today, I can’t say that. Huzzah! Let’s give the whole double album a listen and see if it’s as good as I hope. Songs I already knew: Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely, As Favourites: Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely Thankfully, this was every bit as good as I wanted it to be. It’s funky, catchy and generally fun from front to back. My only critique is that it is a little too long for my liking, but it is a double album so it would be silly to not expect that. Sir Duke does stand above everything else, but it would be reasonable to say that if you like that track, you’d probably like everything else here.

Absolute classic, has so many different genres in the one album and not a bad song on it

Was def dreading a nearly 2 hour listen, but there’s so much good packed into this. The songs I’ve heard a million times it turns out they’re pretty damn good if you haven’t heard them in awhile.

Oh, there are going to be a lot those, right? Albums that I kinda know and respect and the significance of which I understand but which have little to me? This one could very well sit in my collection, though, bought 2nd hand early naughties. The inner sleave would have a pencil scribble "floor: d3 (d4)" for the occasional djing. ... and now I took some time writing this, while listening. It should have more significance to me. 4/5

Favorite tracks: Love’s In Need of Love Today, Sir Duke, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Pastime Paradise, Isn’t She Lovely, All Day Sucker Rating: 4/5

so many songs i couldn’t listen to all but some real bangers. the themes are the themes.

wild maximalist journey. an album containing every song ever written. didnt like the opening few too much but it turned around sir duke and was then bop after bop. sooo much of this album is soo influential. listening to it in its original context would be insane. fav track: actually had a really hard time with this. sir duke slaps. pastime paradise also. i did not like the first half of as too much but i think the second half might be my favorite moment on the album it goes soo crazy. isnt she lovely is just a classic and its so crazy that he wrote it about fia before she was ever borned

Songs in the Key of Life is a timeless masterpiece. An album overflowing with musical brilliance, heart and soul. Listening to it is more than just enjoyable, it feels like a full experience. The depth across this record is astonishing. It moves effortlessly between joy, celebration, reflection and social commentary. The arrangements are rich, the melodies unforgettable and the musicianship is on another level. Yet for all its scale and ambition, it never loses its warmth. Sir Duke is pure joy. An exuberant celebration of music and the legends who shaped it, bursting with energy and one of the most uplifting horn lines ever recorded. In complete contrast, Village Ghetto Land is delicate and deeply moving, with its sharp social commentary and beautiful, almost haunting arrangement. That balance between light and shade is what makes the album so special. There genuinely is not a weak track here. Every song feels purposeful and adds something to the whole. It is joyful and profound at the same time, and it is easy to understand why it is regularly cited as one of the greatest albums ever made. Favourite song: Sir Duke Least favourite: None. Every track earns its place. Album artwork: Striking and iconic. Bold, warm and perfectly reflective of the music inside

It is impressive to hear a 1hr 45 min album this strong and with so many huge hits. I can appreciate the skill and musicianship, but the songs do not speak to me.

не вижу причин ставить 5 концовкой испортили Isn’t She Lovely

I have not heard this album before but I know of Stevie Wonder’s existence. I recognized a few songs: Isn’t She Lovely, Sir Duke, and Pastime Paradise. Some songs that stood out to me for being catchy/likable were: I Wish and All Day Sucker. A song I could go without hearing again is Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call). The songs in this album are on the longer side with many instrumentals. I think I would listen to this album again but I wouldn’t integrate it into my regular playlists as it’s not my ideal taste in music.

Es handelt sich um ein ganz brauchbares Album, das den Sound der siebziger, authentisch rüberbringt Highlight sind das allseits, bekannte Mister Duke, aber auch das unerwartete Stück… Dass man gar nicht in der Originalfassung Stevie Wonder zugeordnet hätte. Insgesamt ist das Album zur Wiederholung geeignet.

Loved the album. Great tunes and beautiful composition of songs.

Super long, it’s movie length, but it’s undeniably good. So many tracks on here that have been super influential on modern music, but there were a few that just weren’t to my personal taste (in particular Village Ghetto Land) Best tracks: Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn’t She Lovely, Love’s In Need Of Love Today

Wonderful album.

great stuff

Bass. Bass. Bass.

I liked the overall feel of Innervisions better and felt some of the songs were too long, yet this album deserves its classic status. TIL that Gangsta’s Paradise sampled a Stevie song. How did I not know that?! 4.2

Like, it's well composed and a good album. A double album is always jsut too long for me.

Ja heel goed album met een aantal bekende hits pastime paradise big so

Undeniable classic, but way too long.

Not big on the first 3 songs but I loved Contusion and the classics Sir Duke and I Wish. I was shocked when I heard Pastime Paradise. Had no idea Ganga's Paradise was an homage to Stevie! Overall I enjoyed the funk elements of this album but wasn't big on some of the slower romance songs. I can totally get behind this album being on the list. It's clearly a very diverse and influential piece of art. Stevie has a ton of range which works in his favor although the album feels disjointed at times. Maybe it's the length or the genre skipping but it almost feels like the whole album is on shuffle.

Plenty of Hip Hop Samples on this album. From Wild Wild West, to Gangsta's Paradise.

Easy listening, Pastime Paradise was really good.

The album length made me think about how I evaluate whether an album is good or not. As a listening experience, it was great, but can I pick out individual songs and add them to the rotation of Liked Songs? Possibly. I don't know if I would listen to 8 and 7 minute long songs on the regular. I like the album cover. The production was great and fun to listen to. Lot of good songs. Overall great album.

feel like most of the songs ran a bit long, there’s a few I really liked tho

Some great songs, but felt a little disjointed as an album

Was not in the mood for Mr Wonder but def like most of these songs. Also like Vardaan said it’s rly long

pretty good, some bangers but was kinda long. got a little bit bored in some of the songs 7/10

Liked it, I will revisit

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this album. Some excellent tracks and lots of classics that didn't realize were Stevie Wonder songs. There is a bit of filler in this double album and I wish this site would stop posting double albums haha.

Contusion is awesome. Zulu on Ncigulela! Many samples, much influence. Wow.

Absolutely incredible album, high quality throughout. Each song demonstrates enormous creativity, boldness and passion. Production was great, musicianship astounding, instrumentation spot on. How does he do it?! While I know the basic Stevie Wonder hits, it’s the first time I’ve listened to a whole album start to finish from this master of music. Tracks like Have A Talk With God knocked me off my feet. Side note - it’s crazy that Isn’t She Lovely WASN’T a single! If I could venture just two small criticisms it would be this: with each song often being so different from the last, it loses some of the flow that albums have the potential for, one of the main incentives to listen to whole albums. Likewise, maintaining concentration to listen to a double album is always hard, towards the end I was definitely not giving the songs the same attention I was at the beginning. That said, there are some bangers right towards the end that being back the focus - All Day Sucker I’m looking at you. All in all great album, great listen experience and one I plan to come back to.

70s is good!

The first time I'd listened to it since I was sixteen. Great album. If not a little long winded.

-lyrics -spiritual -uplifting -culturally/historically crushing -great, well-known songs and a few sleepers -I don't feel it needs to be a double album

Very groovy, makin’ me dance a lot, great vibes Pastime Paradise very much caught me by surprise, had no idea Gangsta’s Paradise was a heavy interpolation of this song, it’s great. A couple of the songs drag on a bit too long.

Was initially feeling this was somewhere between a 3 and 3.5, but it grew on me as the album went on. Excellent production and excellent performances.

die zweite CD ist der Hammer. Was war aber bei der ersten los? Neues Keyboard und mal alle Soundeffects ausprobiert?

nice poppy jazzy saxaphones

Softer Sound, nur bedingt mein Ding

Some amazing songs but sooooo long

This album not only has a bunch of my favorite Stevie songs, but some of my favorite songs period.

Knew about the ballads but not the faster-paced songs with synthesizer, almost Yes-ish. Sir Duke is a classic. I almost feel like I shouldn't be listening to this at work... Waaaay more songs than I thought this album had! 4 sides! How in the world have I never heard Pastime Paradise? No idea Gangsta's Paradise took from another song.

Too many songs but some of them are like top 50 best songs of all time. Really hard to rate it. I would give it 8.5

Double album, all great stuff. The guy is a genius.

A superlative Steve Wonder album. Coming in at 21 songs not every track will be for everyone. But Sir Duke is on this as are several other bops. I'm a major fan of this era of Stevie Wonder, and even though this isn't my favorite of those records, I'll take it.

Pretty, pretty, pretty good

Hit after hit

Incredible album. Recognized a ton of samples and influence this album had on other works. Too many good songs to pick a favorite.

A remarkable album

One of the Best, Which is saying a lot, Stevie Wonder LP's. Rock, Soul, Funk, everything you want from this Musical Genius

Knocks me off my feet, för mig ny låt som va väldigt bra Ture tyckte summer soft låter mycket som nujabes, håller med, speciellt introt.

Previously listened to for this list: Innervisions (4/5) ************************************ Just listened to Innvervisions last week. Songs in the Key of Life is a very low 4/5. Rated highly for some amazing songs, Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely, Pastime Paradise, I Wish. Some other songs, and the album as a whole, especially sides 3 and 4, go on way too long. A couple are pretty cringeworthy and I'd definitely skip them if I listened to this again.

Insane production. Stevie’s voice like silk. Not my favorite genre

I had no idea that Pastime Paradise inspired other songs, which is obvious. Very surprised to hear those strings, I wasn't expecting it at all.

Loved how the first three songs of disc two rolled into one another. Stevie Wonder is great, I love Sir Duke but I didn't love every song.

Some really good moments and some that weren’t my cup of tea. Realized that his song pastime paradise was the sample for the coolio song! Enjoyed some new to me songs like summer soft

This was an album with a lot of mixed emotions for sure. The length of it seems to be a whooping 105 (!) minutes, which is absurd for an album in my opinion. The first quarter is way too much religion centric for my taste. Almost all songs seems to be about Jesus or God in some form - not my cup of tea. Not all songs keep the same quality, but you can't deny that there are quite a lot of bangers here. What's more, there are also a handful of songs that have been sampled and you recognize from other famous songs as well. 'I Wish' seems to be the main song in Will Smith's 'Wild Wild West', 'Pastime Paradise' has been covered and sampled loads of times, and there might be more that I missed. Still, for an album to get a 5 star I would like it to be a bit more even throughout, and it would probably reach that level if like half of the songs were cut. Strong 4 it is!

Pretty awesome stuff! I was surprised to hear pastime paradise and I REALLY liked Contusion and Sir Duke

Quite original and personal

What a great album. I probably listened to it 4 times today. I was already familiar with a few songs like Sir Duke, I Wish, Passtime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, and As. But by the 3rd listen I was really getting into some other ones like Knocks Me Off My Feet and Saturn.

Some undeniably great songs by an undeniable great. Album drags at times though.

Some bangers for sure, but a bit long and noncohesive for my taste

songs in the key of life was stevie wonder at his peak, and he created a double album as a result. stevie created such amazing music, and "sir duke" and "as" (among others) are prime examples of that. i don't think a double album was necessary, but it was also not unnecessary. this album could've been trimmed, but i didn't hate listening to it! this album is full of beautiful music after beautiful music. how could i be mad? there's something about the way wonder creates music. that combination of r&b, soul, funk, pop, jazz, all while he plays keyboards. he does this as if it's magic, truly. how does he do it??? i don't know, but i do know it makes for a damn easy listening experience. i've mentioned this in a previous stevie review, but forgive me. stevie wonder makes noteworthy music, but it's easy for him to be only considered as the king of romantic songs--which is absolutely accurate and fair, but he doesn't let us forget he's a black, religious man. "have a talk with god" and "black man" forces us to understand who stevie wonder is. not to mention, "village ghetto land" allows wonder to include a political song, too, which isn't unheard of for him, but i admire it all the same.

This is definitely Stevie Wonder at the top of his game, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this album truly has something for EVERYONE. There's jazz, soul, funk, pop, R&B, and more here. He fuses everything together so delightfully on this album (again, no doubt due in part to him being at his peak). It's just nearly impossible not to find something (or multiple things!) to enjoy here. It's also truly a marvel and a testament to Stevie Wonder's ability that he could produce content for a double album like this and keep things from dragging or going stale. It felt fresh the entire way through. Simply put, Stevie just expresses such master musicianship here, defying genre and decade. This music is timeless. This was just such a pleasant lesson, all the way through.

I would like to describe the guy who really really enjoy it as a good taste, but this guy won’t be me

Very interesting and enjoyable record, showing all the sides of Stevie greatness. In my opinion, some of the songs in the second half of the record extend their duration unnecessarily.

4 the opening melody really took me, it's really spacial.

pretty perfect except every now and then it slides too close to jazz fusion for me to take

I felt long, but there were some highlights that I hadn't heard before