Songs In The Key Of Life

There are some great tracks here, but not all are great tracks.

Look, it's not for me. There's no doubting the musicianship, talent and it's seminal place in music history. But I just don't really like it.

I'm not usually a fan of the genre but this was a nice surprise as I could listen to the entire album without fighting the need to skip songs. Nice as background music while working.

I'm having a hard time with Stevie Wonder albums. I think I only like the big hits. Everything else is just a style of music I'm not into at all.

Some really cool songs here but this album was too long … I wish it was shorter and I was left wanting more rather than wishing it was over ya know ? I listened to this on the 2am night bus, the drive went on forever and so did the album

I know there’s some classics here but man this just doesn’t do it for me. I think there’s something about the way Stevie wonder sings where it sounds as if he’s passionately articulating every single word and note, but so cleanly and consistently that the whole thing comes off as sterile. Obviously a hugely influential album, but it’s too shiny and too funky to convey much of a message to me.

He discovered every instrument on the electric piano including flute and harmonica. Straight disco and jazzercise.

Over rated

See, I'm basing my star count on how much I ENJOY these sounds. Some times I'll give a star for talent, but not usually.. I don't like this guy's music, partly because it's overplayed. I know it's talented tho. 2 stars

And just like that, we’re back on track! Stevie saves the day again! My second go around with one Stevland Morris on this site, and this time, it’s with what many consider to be his magnum opus. And until I go through the rest of his work, I’m inclined to agree, and not only that, but I also think that this may be one of the finest R&B albums of all time. Going in, I have listened to this whole album before, having thoroughly enjoyed it, but I feel like upon re-listen, it shines even brighter than it did the first time. The notable songs still hold up, and the deep cuts were brought back to my attention, with pretty much all of them being better than I remember. There’s a lot that I could say about this album, being seventeen tracks and around an hour and a half in length, but I’ll stick to the main things I enjoyed about this album. Firstly, the musicianship on this album is incredible. There were a whopping 130 people who worked to bring this album together, so I can’t necessarily give every performer their rightful dues, but there are some contributions I’ll highlight throughout the rest of the review. Stevie is an absolute powerhouse on this album, especially in his singing. His ability to go from a soft and gentle croon to a growling bluesman gives this album its dynamic power. One of my favorite vocal moments being his vocal runs at the end of Summer Soft, which make you just want to jump out of your seat and groove. Another performance I enjoy other than Wonder is Michael Sembello’s electric and funky guitar playing on the instrumental Contusion, a great jazz fusion song that doesn’t feel out of place on the album. Another reason I think this album is incredible is its lyrical content and overall mood. This album truly feels like a celebration of life, in all its ups and downs. It feels like it celebrates love, happiness, heartache, and all the things that it means to be human. The opening track, Love’s In Need Of Love Today, feels like a mission statement for the whole album, and brings you into this world and tells you that the world is in need of more love, a message that still resonates today. The album them continues through the other themes of life, such as religion(Have A Talk With God), music(Sir Duke, which has one of my favorite lines on the album, “But just because a record has a groove/Don’t make it in the groove”) and the future and past(Pastime Paradise), all to great effect. The aforementioned Summer Soft, my second standout, compares the rush of love to the sons, with Stevie’s piano and incredible vocals being the centerpiece. It then transitions through other themes, such as the birth of a child(Isn’t She Lovely) and racism(Black Man), before getting to one of my favorite three song runs on any album, If It’s Magic, As, and Another Star, my third, fourth, and fifth standout tracks. If It’s Magic gives us a calm look at the fragility of love with subtle harp playing by Dorothy Ashby, As gives us an incredible build up, using incredible imagery to show the depth of Stevie’s love, and finally, the latin groove Another Star, probably my favorite song on the album, ends the journey with a primal burst of power, the song breaking into drum groove before the song crashes into a climatic conclusion. I always said this song sounds like Mario Kart Music in the best way possible, it just has that infectious groove you could zip around Coconut Mall to, big props to the backing vocalists for making this song shine, along with Bobbi Humphrey’s flute playing. The album celebrates being alive through music that makes you want to be alive, it all just sounds like a sunny day, and I think that it is just an incredible piece of music. Now, I’m going reach for another star and hope for a last great album to cap off the summer.

Una cumbre indiscutible del soul, el funk y la música universal que ha envejecido bien como el testimonio definitivo de plenitud creativa y humanismo sónico. En el plano de diseño formal, la producción de Stevie Wonder logra un entretejido que da claridad a una escala instrumental colosal, articulando el uso pionero de sintetizadores polifónicos, metales cortantes, cuerdas y polirritmias con una nitidez y un balance dinámico asombrosos. La entrega de Wonder despliega una fuerza y calidez inagotables que transmiten una autenticidad desarmante, consagrando su autoridad superior mediante un dominio técnico y una pasión interpretativa sin igual. Himnos de júbilo contagioso como la precisión de "Sir Duke" y el pulso rítmico de "I Wish" se entrelazan con la ternura de "Isn't She Lovely" y la densidad reflexiva de "Pastime Paradise", "Village Ghetto Land" y la monumental "As", configurando un documento conmovedor, crudo y real que opera como un sutil llamado a la conciencia sobre las fracturas sociales, el amor y la dignidad humana. Una obra monumental cuya cadencia envolvente y constante sensación de paz y fluidez la vuelven sumamente versátil para múltiples usos, destacando como un catalizador extraordinario para acompañar el ejercicio, la conducción o potenciar el trabajo creativo.

Halfway through the record. Atleast a 4 but im feeling a 5 Easiest 5 stars of my life, so full of life and melodies and passion and love

Wonderful album from stevie

whole other level... full of spirit

han scho laaaang uf das füfi gwartet. die erste paar songs bis pastime paradise hani bim scopa spiele mit de francesca glost und afoch nur gnosse oooooh mein gott stevie. er het so so viel melodie i sich gha. nöd okay. vorallem ischs crazy wies irgendwie en eigene sound het aber s folgt alles de melodie immer. ich find lustigerwiis d production und d songstrukture (do sinds afoch z lang) uf anderne albe um welte besser aber er het so viel gueti songs uf eim album do. sir duke oooh mein gott, i wish perfekte groove, love's in need of love soo gueti melodie. knocks me off my feet isch so e befriedigendi kadenz. village ghetto land het riese gsellschaftlichi ambitione, chunt vlt nöd ganz döt ane wos will aber s isch trotzdem de hammer. sunmer soft isch für mich de erst woni amel chli vergiss, aber au suuuper smooth und soo so guet gspielt. do findi s arrangment zimli perfekt. ich vergiss immer ordinary pain und s isch soooo so so so guet ooooh mein goooott. oh mein gott de song isch insane. ah stimmt de hochi stimm time. isch das er? uf chillo singt d minnie riperton mit norml. er isch sich konstant am überbüüte. isn't she lovely. willsch mi zieh. ich has scho so viel glost und bin jedesmol baff ab de songs. de song gits doch scho immer? da isch son ewige? ja ich han spass. song so lang aber es isch isn't she lovely. kei ahnig er isch papi worde und het e schissfreud. mer ghört wie sis baby badet. joy inside my tears wär uf jedem andere album so DIE ballade aber do ischs en normale song. lieb de #9 chord als turnaround (glaub?). ich weiss no woni das album s letstmol glost han hani black man so krass gfunde. und ich find etz de afang vom groove wieder insane. mensche red sege isch hüt etz vlt nüme de move aber de song het mega gueti intwntione und wie tight sind die blöser mit dene synths bitte? gebemer ihm de? bin nöd d person wo entscheidet obmer da dörf. ngicuela isch sochli de deepcut. chli de lowpoint. As isch defür definitiv en höhepunkt. d akkörd wie s ufbaut uf de refrain afoch perfekti melodiefüehrig und de turbaround zrugg id strophe und wie er siiiingt oooh mein gott mann. d drums fuuuck me. ah es isch nöd er ade drums! ich find ihn en guete drummer aber do isch perfekt eso fuuck es wird tschuttet.

Fantastic. Genre-defining and full of that sweet Motown.

How can you not love this album?! And that’s coming from someone who typically despises long albums. Yet with Mr. Wonder, I’d listen over and over again.

incredible stuff... did not stevie wonder was influencing the world of music in this way. LOVED IT

for an album this long, there's bound to be some tracks that don't hold up to the peaks across the record. thankfully, the strength of most of these songs more than makes up for the moments that don't strike gold or run a little long. even with the length, I was surprised by the variety of sounds on here. plenty of funk, soul, and R&B spread across these songs (even some jazz fusion on "Contusion") and synthesizer experimentation abounds. some of his most direct, iconic songs up against some boundary-pushing efforts that refract the social environment of the time through group vocals, call-and-response, and the joy of music. even in those moments, he never sacrifices immediacy. one of those albums where I feel like I'll continue to discover cool moments on continued listens.

I don’t have a shred of talent. So I have immense gratitude for someone as wonderfully talented as Stevie Wonder; who was able to incapsulate the feeling of having a daughter in such a beautiful song. By January, I’ll know the feeling. I only wish I could give her as something as beautiful as this. P.S. how did arguments go in that household? How do you argue with a guy that made that song about you?

So damn beautiful I cried.

8/16/26 Favorite Track: Sir Duke

I quite like Wonder. But this album is clearly a masterpiece. Bravo Mr Wonder.

Amazing album, incredible songs, a masterpiece from Stevie Wonder!<3

Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder is exactly what it says it is, but it's also greater than simple words can express. It's a musical blueprint of the ups and downs we face as humans, the good and bad days, and it's sewn together with a constant thread of hope weaving its way throughout its ambitious 21 songs. This thread is Stevie's way of reminding you to find the goodness that exists all around you, using the language of music because it speaks directly to the soul. His message is clear...love and allow yourself to be loved. Songs in the Key of Life is one of those rare records that leaves you a better person for having experienced it. It's Stevie Wonder's magnum opus in my humble opinion, and without a doubt one of the greatest records ever pressed.

звучит очень хорошо, для солнечного дня отлично. оставила много любимых песен, советую к прослушиванию

Jooooo jooooo Dit album wil ik zo graag hebben!! Instant 5 sterren. Pastime Paradise is ook wel echt een legendarisch nummer, hoe vaak dat gecoverd is.

Dit zou wel ongeveer het perfecte album kunnen zijn. Vocaal is Stevie wonder heerlijk, de piano en synths natuurlijk ook. Ik hou er ook van als baspartijen melodieus zijn. Daarnaast wordt alles aangevuld door achtergrond vocals, blaaspartijen of strijkers. Elk nummer is een meesterwerk opzichzelf. Het is perfect geproduceerd en alles klopt. Ik vind het altijd heel vet hoe de nummers alle kanten op gaan, zoals bij het nummer summer soft verwacht je totaal niet waar het nummer heen gaat. Dit album is al met al een meesterwerk! Een ding wat naar mijn mening niet klopt en heel frustrerend is voor mij. is hoe hij is uitgebracht op vinyl. Het is namelijk zo uitgebracht dat kant A en D op een plaat zitten en B en C. Dat betekent dat je twee keer van plaat moet wisselen als je het op vinyl luistert. Ook vind ik het altijd grappig dat Stevie altijd van die lelijke albumhoezen heeft, maar dat is hem vergeven want hij heeft geen idee hoe ze er uit zien.

Mooi album, t maakt me dan ook niet uit dat het aan de lange kant is. Stevie Wonder houdt zo erg van muziekmaken dat hij af en toe simpelweg niet kan stoppen, en dat werkt aanstekelijk want je gaat er lekker inzitten. Stevie Wonder houdt zo erg van muziek maken dat hij er een nummer over heeft geschreven. Vakmanschap in combinatie met plezier, daarnaast vind ik Stevie ook een leuke verhalenverteller. Heel veel respect voor deze legende. 5 sterren.

I mean, just the greatest thing of all time, isn't it? A monster of an Rnß album by one of the best voices in the genre, that I don't listen to nearly as often as I should. It's just so dense, so masterfully executed, and so deserved of its double-album length. An album that blends all the most joyful and gloomy aspects of Wonder's life seamlessly into one of music's grandest displays of sincerity and down-to-earth emotion - both lyrically and musically. I don't even know how to start with this album, or how to talk about the songs here; there are just so many incredible moments. 'Love's In Need Of Love Today' is the perfect way to start a giant album like this - warm harmonies, the riffing in the lead vocals, the subtleties in the playing here, and the way the strings are mixed so low in the background that you might audibly miss them, but still sense their presence. It's a song that moves very slowly, but also manages to not feel like a 7-minute opener, despite its singular nature. A perfect mission statement for the rest of the album. In contrast to the opener, the strings in 'Village of Ghetto Land' are so in your face and melodic, painting a very majestic scene, something royal and rich, which brilliantly contrasts the actual lyrics here because Wonder isn't describing something elegant, but something sad, run-down, and in need of desperate change. 'Sir Duke' is a masterpiece, one of the very first songs I learned on bass because I just had to nail that bass and trumpet breakdown (I never really did, but I got damn close!). A super catchy and feel-good tune about Wonder's appreciation for music and its impact on him and his surroundings. And goddamn, those horns are iconic - the earliest of many peaks on this album. 'I Wish' is one of this album's many obvious forays into funk with the tight syncopation in the percussion and a bassline that just won't quit. And while I don't have too much to say about 'Knocks Me Off My Feet', it's easily one of my favorites here, just Stevie at his most perfect as a songwriter, vocalist, and composer; it's pretty stripped back when compared to everything else here. 'Pastime Paradise' brings back those dramatic and unsettling FM strings and choir vocals, which is fitting given the darker subject matter of the song, though I've always found it to be almost too sharp a change in pace from the previous tracks. It's striking is all, but I appreciate the left turn in terms of mood and genre; it's something this album does a lot, and it stops the album from feeling stagnant and gives the sequencing a lot of life. 'Summer Soft' is also great, lives up to its title. The highlights here are Stevie constantly pushing his voice and the slick organ solo closing the song out. And Shirley Brewer coming in out of nowhere to snatch the leads of 'Ordinary Pain' and then steering it in a completely different direction is such an incredible way to close off this disc, just an unforgettably fiery performance by her. Disc 2 opens up with the iconic 'Isn't She Lovely', and while I don't like it as much as the opener to Disc 1, it's such an undeniably layered love ballad. It's one of this album's finest displays of tight mixing, just the way everything falls into place, while never stunting Stevie's ever-evolving boyish lead vocals. And that harmonica outro over these very human samples and this tight bass groove is a stunner, like driving off into the sunset side-by-side with the people who mean the most to you. 'Black Man' is maybe the album's most bluntly delivered "political" track - a super meaningful piece that has an absolutely infectious and warbly groove underneath it. Another one of those overtly funky tracks here. And the vocoder in the final part here is super weird to hear in the '70s. We then get the one-two punch of 'As' and "Another Star". The former is another one of those classic "perfect" Stevie Wonder love songs; similar to the opener, it grows in intensity very subtly, as more vocal harmonies are brought into the mix and that underlying organ flies loose. And then there's 'Another Star' which is one of the greatest songs ever, period. I can listen to this song forever, an absolute adrenaline rush. Despite the lyrics speaking of heartbreak, the song sounds like a celebration of life, just an insanely danceable piano and drum groove and a simple but immediately catchy vocal motif. It's repetitive, and goes the distance in terms of length, but the subtle changes throughout are what maintain the song's momentum. Like when everything is stripped back 2/3rds of the way through, and then the instruments are slowly brought back in with that first single snare hit that makes me lose my shit for some reason, and then that flute that just flutters over the whole thing. It's so damn good it should be illegal; if there's one song that makes me happy just to be alive, it's this one. And the album sends itself off pretty nicely as well with the final four tracks. We have the awe-inspiring synthetic orchestra and strange garbled bass slides of 'Saturn' and the most rock-oriented track on the album with 'All Day Sucker' with this really interestingly chopped repeating vocal snippet closing the song out. Finally there's the instrumental 'Easy Goin' Evening' which is the perfect album closer, another "sun setting harmonica" vibe, where the sun, in this case, was the album itself. Well, it looks like I rambled again, but this album really is just that good. It's pleasant and easy 70s music to put on, but hidden deep within the songs are bits and pieces that are genuinely experimental and pretty ahead-of-the-curve. And again, it's such a shining album, just absolutely beaming with life and emotion. There's nothing out there quite like it.

I love every song on this record. But, as a whole, it overstays its welcome a little bit. That’s not to say there’s any slack on the album; there isn’t. But, 2 & 1/2 sides from one artist is a lot. Things become staid, and I find myself feeling bad for not having the capacity to appreciate the songs after a certain point. Nevertheless, this is a triumph. There is a reason why this is commonly listed as the greatest album of all time, and that is because every track on it is worthwhile. Some of my favorite music I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear is on here. (Sir Duke is easily in my top five songs of all time.)But, I find 85 minutes of the same artist to be fatiguing— regardless of how good that artist may be. There are tracks here that go on longer than they really need to, no matter how good they may be. (I may get some flak for this, but think: Isn’t She Lovely, As, Another Star, Black Man, etc.) This, for me at least, contributes to the fatigue. The songs are great, but this is a marathon rather than a sprint. Were any of the songs I mentioned parenthetically to be featured on a single record the length would be justified. But they aren’t, and that length adds up. Still, for all of my whingeing, one of my favorite tracks is the last. There’s a certain kind of longing to it, one that the subtitle builds: “Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call)”. It’s a languid, half-lullaby. A tune of pure and potent nostalgia, even if that nostalgia calls back to a time and place I have no direct connection to. I don’t know, I just like that song and think it’s the perfect and to a near-perfect album (despite my criticism), even if that album is best taken in doses.

Standouts: Sir Duke, I Wish, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, Black Man, As Admittedly, I found the first few songs of "Songs in the Key of Life" a bit drab. I wondered if I was too uncultured to understand its genius, if I didn't enjoy Stevie Wonder's music as much as I thought, if the next 2 hours would be largely unmemorable besides iconic tracks like "Sir Duke." I'm glad to report that my first impression was very, very wrong. The rest of the album was mesmerizing. I didn't even care to analyze lyrics or consider their (lack of) thematic cohesiveness. I just enjoyed the sounds and the feelings that followed. Stevie Wonder is a virtuoso of rhythm, melody, arrangement, and composition — all which is readily apparent on hearing "Songs in the Key of Life." Ultimately, it's not only Wonder's musical talent, but also his inventiveness and attention to detail, that makes this album impeccable. I love the wide application of synths: the varied "voices" and their use as melodic and percussive elements. But synths are far from the only standout instrument in this album. In fact, this album's array of lush instrumentation could easily become overwhelming in the wrong hands... but Wonder has the hands of a maestro. He seamlessly mixes acoustic and electronic instruments, crisp and oscillating textures, standard and complex time signatures. Review #2 might be a bit early for a 5-star rating, but I don't know if I'll find many albums more deserving.

Genius at work, excellent songs, arrangements, and musicians

Incredible with both pop and funk

I am kinda mad at my parents for never introducing me to this album growing up. How could they get away with something like that all these years?

So good!!!! I knew it would be good, but the quality is just so high up there. It's varied, it has some golden tracks there too, and many I didn't know, but loved! High recommend this to anyone, it's amazing. Will be listening again.

Listan helpoin 5/5 tähän mennessä. Niin, Wikipedian mukaan tämä on Wonderin 18. albumi. Luonnollisesti se on lähes parituntinen tupla-albumi, jonka biisimateriaali on täyttä timanttia alusta loppuun. Ja tässä vaiheessa kaveri on 26-vuotias. Älytöntä! Sisältää myös klassikoita! 5/5

Do we need to explain this album? Let's start with this: without this album, the late 90s rap scene is basically devoid of hits. It is hard to overstate how much Stevie carried the genre without necessarily being asked to, and especially this album. How about the “songs in the key of…” trope? This is an album that looks large culturally before we even put it on. Stevie does a little bit of everything here. Why wouldn't he? He starts with a love song to love itself, a funk-gospel that somehow avoids being intolerable, a socially conscious stately classical piece. This is the filler, so it tells you the level of quality of the hits (or even just the following instrumental). Sure, some of these songs were big enough to spawn major hits for other artists (Coolio weirdly manages to live up to Pastime Paradise. Will Smith makes a mockery of I Wish). But the strut and swagger and killer riffs of Sir Duke? Possibly the highlight of Wonder's entire catalog. Not that we don't also get one of his most simple but perfect love songs in “Isn't She Lovely.” SitKOL contains multitudes. And that, of course, isn't all about how well this blends some pure pop with some pure funk, fluff with weight, into a cohesive stew. It also is one of those few true double albums where even in the CD era, you weren't getting away without swapping a platter. There are a couple other albums this bulky that pull this off on the list, but it's rare, and few do it as elegantly. Let's get back to those “filler” tracks. Most of them would still amount to at least a 4 star album by themselves. The smart pop of Knocks Me Off My Feet, the sprawl of Joy Inside My Tears, the African textures of Ngiculela. It's doe-eyed in both its love songs and its protest songs, but never particularly saccharine or hollow. It's the sound of hope. But more importantly it's the sound of great soul music. Even the “bonus” 7”, which is canon as a proper part of the album, is solid (imagine putting a song like “saturn” on a bonus single and not your album proper). It's probably a 4.5 for me, but it seems a nitpick to not round that up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If the blind dude asks to deliver a baby, you can have confidence that Stevie would do it right and do it with style.

There’s a reason my buddy considers this the best album of all time

Masterpiece. This is one of very few examples of a five-star record that is better than the sum of its parts. I LOVE the record. I love the individual tracks, but they sing best in the context of the record.

Breaking my album too long for this one, shit slaps, absolutely nothing wrong with it

I notice something new every time I listen to this album. For instance this time, I noticed just how accurate T-pain's impression of Stevie was in the Epic Rap Battle against Wonder-woman

It's not often that a double album is this devoid of skips. My favorite Stevie Wonder album by a long shot, namely due to exposure and the memories associated with it. An incredibly solid 5/5 that everyone should certainly hear before they're shaken off this rock.

Can you give this anything other than a 5? Way too long? Yep. But it has sir duke and isn’t she lovely. 15/10.

A masterpiece of masterpieces.

An obvious 5/5. An amazing, classic, album. The fact that it’s long yet it keeps you engaged makes it even greater. “As” and “another star” are my favorites.

It's really, really, reeeeeeeeally long! but the sequencing and variety in the songs keeps it feelign fresh the whole way through. The production and musicianship are out of control, but the closing track is garbage and I could happily never hear isn't she lovely ever again

Stevie has a way of making you feel so good. This could be his masterpiece, except there are a couple other albums that might compete for that title. Nevertheless, a double album that can keep your attention and feel so much deserves my highest respect. 5 stars

Such foundational music to be sampled endlessly

wowowowow

Instant 5

If you had asked me to name albums that definitely would be on this list, I would have names this one pretty quickly. It's so good. Fun to hear originals that became popular samples (Wild Wild West, Gangstas Paradise). "Isn't She Lovely" is just so infectiously joyful. Inject that shit right into my veins.

What an explosion of genre shattering creativity. Just amazing and impossible to label, at times sweet at times intensely political, a masterpiece.

Unbelievable album. A must needed part of any serious music afficianados music collection. Timeless.

What a funky album, Stevie Wonder is such an amazing musician. Previously i had only heard sir duke but the rest of this album is just as amazing, such a vibe. 9/10 5 stars

Classic

Unbelievable album and brilliant voice

Nothing will top this album, I might as well quit here

Bruh. I already listened to this record countless times. 5/5 masterpiece

A terrific album filled with hit songs covering soul R n B jazz and popular.

The hype is real. This is the crown jewel of Wonder's discography for a reason. It's just banger after banger. And even the songs I had never heard and aren't the most popular were still so good. I feel like I discovered even more of his classics on here. This elevates to new heights in ways his other albums don't. It's a fully realized vision and consistent sound. He's never sounded better. Top Songs: Love's in Need of Love Today, Sir Duke, I Wish, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Isn't She Lovely, As, Saturn, All Day Sucker

My dad is a good man. I’d trust him with my life. For some reason, he can’t stand Stevie Wonder. If you don’t like this album, you’re either my dad or I don’t trust you.

I can not see why I could not give it a 5....Muhehe

OK. I’m gonna say it. I’m about 300 albums into this. This is hands down the best so far. I went into it having never heard it before but knowing the reputation it had. I wondered if it would genuinely be that good. And yeah, fucking hell it is THAT good. Every song is jaw-dropping. I actually burst out laughing at one point because I was so stunned by it, was enjoying it so much. Just total joy. I fucking love music.

1000/10

absolute smile album :>

Obviously a 5, everything I heard was fantastic

Top 5 album OAT

Great record, still hear it sampled and played all the time.

Absolute quality. Many individual tracks are essential listening for any music fan, and the whole thing also works as a cohesive body of work. It takes you through every emotion, and frequently makes you want to dance. A genuine classic.

A torrent of imagination and creativity, though the heavy-hitters stand above the rest, all of the album is still fully satisfying to listen to But you don't need me to tell you that about Stevie Wonder

10 out of five. 15 out of five. This is an amazing album.

Hermoso

No notes. No words.

Yes

wild wild west *and* gangsta's paradise came from here? this has gotta be the blueprint for hundreds of good songs. ridiculously fun to listen to and the goal that all music should aspire to

🔥🔥🔥

jeez, 2 perfect albums in a row here. this may be a trend

This one is widely considered the best record that Stevie put out, and I can understand why. I am a huge fan of his voice and his music overall, so I am very subjective, but this album is beautiful! It has slow moments, upbeat moments, and some of his best songs ever. I mean, Sir Duke is one of the best hooks in the history, Isn't She Lovely is just the most beautiful piece written for his kid, and Pastime Paradise gave us one of the most recognizable rap songs of a whole generation. Amazing from start to end.

A straight-up masterpiece.

i’ve already listened to one of the songs from this album!! “As” is in my Spotify liked playlist so I hope I like this album, i’ll edit this after I finish 7/5/26 <3 edit: 7/6/26 as of 11:24pm rn i'm listening to the first disc and i really enjoy it ! so far village ghetto land is my least fave but i still like it and i wouldn't skip.

Is it a bit long? Yes but this is up there for best album all time. I understand why Apple Music has it rated so high. I probably won’t listen to it again but it was great

absolute smash, loved the first few tracks of the album but i kinda js put the rest on the background but yeah i heard a few weird noises in the middle of listening (idk which) i think it was on "saturn" i dont remember. but TOP TRACK? definitely love's in need of love today.

This is a fantastic album.

Beautiful, just beautiful

A peak, Himalayan magnificent.

I could pretend I have an intricate rating system replete with algorithms. I could take off a quarter star because it’s too long and another quarter star because there are a few indulgent tracks that miss. OR I could recognize that the hit songs are legendary and everyone across generations can sing them from memory. I might remember that this is Stevie MFin’ Wonder, the music genius, and one of the most respected albums of all times. So, maybe my thoughts on the second My Bloody Valentine album might offer insight (they don’t), but there’s nothing I will say here that you can’t feel for yourself in the music.

Everyone’s already said everything about this one. It’s great obviously. It’s funny that it’s his like 18th album. What the hell

All of its peak

I mean, it's Stevie Wonder! He's in a class all his own.

Bien.

Amazing

I legitimately think this is in the top 10 best albums all time. So fun and groovy. It has like 4 of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s so charming I forgive it when it commits the sin of running on for too long.

Una vaina bien funky, las texturas y las diferentes capas sónicas en algunas de las canciones me tienen flipando. Instrumentalmente es uno de los álbumes más impresionantes, instrumentalmente hablando, que he escuchado.

Masterpiece. Amazing production, lyrics, musicianship. Can’t believe I didn’t know gangsters paradise was a Stevie sample.

Only one disc in as of writing this bit , but WOW: this challenge is already immensely worth it. This album is so amazing. It is full of passionate vocals that feel like you're drowning in Wonder's soulful voice, whilst being accompanied by a very surprisingly proggy accompaniment, with some amazing bass guitar that is honestly super inspiring - I'll be checking out more of Nathan Watts' Stuff. The lyrics are also all really interesting, I love how Wonder pays homage to music as an art form in Sir Duke. Honestly, this could be considered a life changing listen for me, really really enjoyed this, and I've needed more joyful music in my rotation.

I just want to keep listening this album, I'm not ready to move on. All of the hits I knew before this are awesome here, and there are so many of them. And then so many more songs I'd never heard are just beautiful. Love's In Need of Love, Village Ghetto Land, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Summer Soft, As, and Another Star are all excellent. It's endlessly entertaining for its full duration. Some of the songs run a bit long, but the songs slap so who cares. If I could give it a bonus star for having the song we used for our baby announcement (Isn't She Lovely, of course), I would, but it already has an easy 5/5. Incredible album, one of my all time favorites.

A masterpiece

Sometimes you listen to a classic album and can clearly pinpoint one or two aspects of it that are the reason is it is lauded and beloved. Upon listening to this lauded, beloved classic my takeaway is simply this - this is really really good music. It's gorgeous and sumptuous and multilayered and interesting and funky and dank where it needs to be and gentle where it needs to be, it's perfectly played and produced and just floods ones pleasure zones from start to finish. Simple as that.

"Songs In The Key Of Life" was Stevie Wonder’s 18th album and was released 50 years ago, in 1976. When you consider that Wonder is still active as a musician, you can appreciate just how important he is. In the mid-1970s, he was at the height of his creativity, and “Songs In The Key Of Life” was the crowning achievement in a whole series of fantastic albums. The perfection of the recordings – both in terms of performance and sound – remains impressive, especially when you consider that, although 130 musicians were involved, the majority of the music was recorded by Wonder himself. In terms of production, only Steely Dan could, at best, keep up with Wonder’s perfectionism. Compositionally, Wonder showcases everything he has to offer: R&B, (progressive) soul, pop, rock, jazz and funk. Wonder explored the boundaries of black music and confidently pushed them further. The result is quite simply perfect. It grooves, it swings, it rocks; it features enchanting melodies and, with ‘Sir Duke’, one of the most complex arrangements in the history of pop music. A milestone.

Wow! What a great album. The one thing that this project is on course for achieving is to get this aging punk into Stevie Wonder big time!

isnt she lovely????

Bien.

Is I Wish the most perfect song ever? I'm not qualified to say but if I needed to nominate one for the fate of the world against imminent alien obliteration I could do much worse .

🐐

it’s so great and multi faceted with its sound; ironically i like isn’t she lovely the least, something about that song doesn’t do it for me. but that’s a nitpick on an otherwise very pleasant feel good album

masterpiece

++*: Sir Duke, I Wish, Ordinary Pain, Isn't She Lovely, Joy Inside My Tears, Ebony Eyes ++: Love's in Need of Love Today, Have a Talk with God, Village Ghetto Land, Contusion, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Black Man, Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing, If It's Magic, As, Another Star, Saturn, All Day Sucker, Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call) 10/10

My father didn’t have a lot of great albums from the 1970s, but he did have some Stevie Wonder. Both Songs in the Key of Life and Talking Book were part of his collection. I remember seeing them filed away among all the other LPs, but I can’t remember him ever actually putting either one on the turntable for us. Now, to be clear, we listened to a lot of Motown and Stevie Wonder in our house growing up. But more often than not, we were subjected to Stevie Wonder’s Original Musiquarium I—a double CD, no less—which my dad mostly used as an excuse to show off his brand-new compact disc player in 1987. And by the way, it had these weird, watery soundscape segues between each song that always stuck with me. This was about as psychedelic as my dad got in the 1960s: owning two Stevie Wonder albums from the 1970s. That probably says more about my house and my upbringing than I can fully explain. So I was excited to see another Stevie Wonder album pop up on this list. The runtime, though, was a little intimidating. I love Stevie as much as the next person, but asking anyone to sit for an hour and forty-five minutes—even for what’s widely considered his magnum opus—is no small thing. That said, this wasn’t a difficult listen at all. In fact, it was incredible. There’s a reason this is considered his best work. And the fact that it was his eighteenth album, released in 1976, makes it all the more impressive—a staggering achievement from an artist already operating at an impossibly high level.

I’ve come to the conclusion that a five star rating system doesn’t suffice to express my love for this album. My only regret is that it only lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes

GOD DAYUM. UNREAL ALBUM. WOW

Classic. Perfect for summer listening.

Another Stevie Wonder masterpiece

I'd have given this 5 stars for "Sir Duke" alone. But the rest of the album is terrific. I've loved this album for a long time. Stevie at the height of his powers was something else.

Oooof this is good, a bit too long for my taste but there’s sooo many great songs on here. I do understand he couldn’t keep any of them for himself so thank you Stevie, for this masterpiece.

i remember the first time i listened to this album and i really understood why he is regarded as one of the best. this album is one of the rare ones i will classify as timeless- meaning it could have come out at any time and it would still be meaningful and enjoyable

What can I say that hasn’t been said yet? One of the best albums of all time in any genre. A true masterpiece by a man who has no equal. 5/5

Great album! Stevie is a legend.

i mean, doesn't it say everything that this is the only 90 minute+ album people don't bitch about the length of? and it's almost two full hours of music too! heavenly, wonderful, life-affirming music. Stevie Wonder's highest achievement and nothing comes close, even despite a really strong decade. deserves to be one of the 1001? yesssss!!!!!

Loved the excuse to revisit this. I haven't listened to the whole album since I gave my brother my vinyl collection 10 years ago. This is a masterpiece. It is Stevie Wonder at the peak of his creativity: packed with hits, overflowing with his personality and emotional range, and is stunningly beautiful in places. Songs in the Key of Life is one of those rare: "This song is on here too?!" albums where just about every song is as good as the last. Records like this are why this website exists.

Undeniably one of the most comprehensive albums of all time.

A masterpiece. Thank you Stevie! "Until the day is night and night becomes the day (Always)"

Another project I probably didn't look too far into because of its length, 21 songs and nearly 2 hours of music sounds intimidating. I can't imagine the effort of switching the speed on the 33 for the final tracks on an effort you're not already in love with. Luckily, this gem invites you to fall in love quickly. It has a lot of every day life, beautiful mixing of sounds, it ends up being more than music. But with stunning musical production. If you appreciate Stevie Wonder in a general sense, like me, there's a heavy handful of classics right here. The capacity this production has to literally move you is amazing. I had this one on during a busy city walk on a Saturday afternoon, it is nearly impossible to feel bad listening to I Wish as you walk down a crowded sidewalk. Try it. I'm docking a few decimals for length, it was a task to listen to this, despite its replay value. Definitely a masterful project I'll be playing in the future. 4.75/5

Everything has written everything possible on this album, so I'll just say this: I bought this album as a teenager, listened to a few songs, and never did so again. I don't think I was ready. As an adult, with a new family life, all of the album's themes are far more pertinent than they were before. The complexity of being human, of being together, on this planet. This music is not of this world. These melodies and vocal phrases and structures are indescribable. I've studied music and have no idea how one writes music like this. Stevie Wonder is a human being, flaws and all, but he truly believes what he sings and what he "sees" in all of us. That we are capable of something greater, of something greater than ourselves, that there is no act more daring than to love, and that spirituality is personal yet universal, that salvation comes to all who save each other, that humanity and nature is all we have in spite of our beliefs. Listened to this back to back for days, flabbergasted at everything. The drumming, the harmonica playing, the rich and textured mix, plus his singing turning into hollering from time to time. Left humbled and marveled. I can't believe that this was his 18th album, as he was just about to retire and head to West Africa to do more humanitarian work. It's one of the great gifts to humanity. We should be sending a copy of this into space. 5 million stars, and it's not even my favorite album of all time. No album compares.

In the running for GOAT album I don't give a fuck that it's nearly 2 hours long, it's amazing Fave track: Another Star

Stevie Wonder!

Turns out Stevie Wonder is good at music.

On kyl sairaat setit. Vähän vois olla lyhempi varmaan, mut yolotetaan.

joyous fun! i love sir duke

One of the greats - best Stevie Album

Beautiful record, I had never listened to it before.

Wonderful. An outstanding album from him at the top of his game.

First listened 4th December 2024. Favourite songs are Knocks Me Off My Feet and Summer Soft.

I didn't expect to love this nearly as much as I did. I need to listen to more Stevie

Listened to on my Bose AE2 Soundlink. This is just a magical album, plain and simple. Stevie Wonder puts out a worthy-of-it's-length double album that is filled with creativity, variety, and a burning, authentic passion towards life, whether it's the joy found inside love that's long gone and the birth of a child, or the harsh youth days filled with struggle and wasted time on past reminiscing/future daydreaming. It's an album that is truly accepting of the human experience, and it makes it feel so both relatable and justified in it's overall positive outlook. It makes the good and bad of life feel both hand in hand, rather than positions at odd with one another and it's just plain comforting in that sense, which is astounding because of how strongly the moods can swing. Love playfully interpreted to the seasons of the earth and lessons taught in the history of non-white influence of life--American specifically--as we know it, don't feel at odds with each other. It is all true to the character of life. The album title might be one of the most elegant summations of an album ever released, and the musicality that links these lyrical ideas is nothing short of expert and exciting. Songs will often spin out above the six minute mark as the band sinks further and further into the grooves, and it somehow never gets boring. It really just pushes the listener deeper and deeper into the song, making my rhythmic walks and head nodding feel almost like I'm part of the band too, just everyone coming together to lay down something that you can really feel. To specifically note some absolute earworms: The harmonica of 'Isn't She Lovely', feeling so innocent and jovial which perfectly fits the song, the tight Jazz Fusion of instrumental 'Contusion' which is so gripping and hyper, feeling like a song perfect for the race track. The soft croons on opener 'Love's in Need of Love Today' which are delectably smooth and feel like a warm hug, the funk explosion of following track 'Have a Talk with God' which has this murky, swampy, almost disgustingly rhythmic synth work that sounds so futuristic. There is just such a strong identity to this album, in it's cohesive combination of overall album theming and musical expression of those concepts. Where Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get it On' felt to me like the exact instrumentation of various ideas of love, this album's composition feels like a totality of human expression. It's wildly varied, layered, pulsing in strong rhythm--it feels like a more abstract and broader extrapolation of human experience, which is compounded by the lyricism which also touches on a strong range of ideas. From concept to execution, this is one of the absolute masterwork musical pieces.

*all-time.

Rating: 5.0/5 Short Review: Joyful, spiritual, emotional, political, playful… somehow everything at once. Feels like Stevie Wonder trying to capture the full experience of being alive. Massive in scope, but still deeply human and warm. Favorite Track: “As.” One of the most sincere love songs ever written. Feels endless in the best way.

Muy bueno es tranquilo pero tiene una vibra que también te quiere hacer bailar

This record is utterly phenomenal. Packed with soul, groove and rhythm, it's expertly crafted and a masterpiece of it's time that takes you on a journey with so many layers. Stevie Wonder does mellow soulful tracks just as well as he does upbeat funky grooves, each song flowing beautifully into one another to create a genuine cohesion despite the mix of styles. It's packed with hits, energy and a confidence that has to be applauded. I sooooo nearly docked a point for it being 105 minutes long… I'm really not a fan of albums this long, but I've let it slide because of how good it is.

This was Stevie Wonders response to Houmous & Chutneys hit album Songs In The Key of Len 4.7 16/21 As

this is actually the greatest album ever, i listened to it 3x this week before it came up

1.

One of the best albums of all time.

I own it on vinyl that’s my review.

Simply amazing.

for me this is the pinnacle of Stevie Wonder’s output, this collection of songs is so great, and then you have impeccable production and a band that is firing on all cylinders.

It’s very long but it’s brilliant and eclectic. One of the all time greatest albums by one of the all time greatest artists. I knew it before this but I didn’t know it was his 18th album, no wonder he was getting burnt out and thinking of jacking it all in and emigrating. I’m glad he didn’t though and instead produced this at a stage in his career when most other artists, including some legends, had long since checked out creatively.

Tremendous

(7/7) a little long and jam heavy but the good moments are astounding

We had Prince’s Sign O’ the Times a couple of days ago and were large parts of that seemed self-indulgent and excessive, Stevie makes this just effortlessly cool. It is the perfect sunny spring morning album. ‘Sir Duke’ is obviously a standout, but that shouldn’t overshadow the other tracks. ‘Love’s in Need of Love Today is a brilliant opener and this level is sustained until we reach the aforementioned SD, when the roof is blown off. ‘I Wish’ nearly manages to maintain this impossible level. It’s hard for someone my age to hear Pastime Paradise without thinking of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise, but his job was made so much easier by having an already classic track to build on. ‘ordinary Pain’ is a beautifully crafted song about heartbreak and perfectly closes the first part of the album. ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ shows you have to take something that should be sickly sweet and turn into a perfect pop song. ‘As’ is a beautiful pop song that delivers a soulful chorus that cant help but make you feel good.

Very awesome.

Tremendous stuff.

Some surprises with this one. First I’d assumed it came out a decade more later than its actual release date. Partly because it anticipates that smooth jazz sheen that so much music had in the 90’s, but also because Stevie was so ubiquitous back then. Second, there are several songs that are basically rip-offs from this album. I don’t care about the Wild West theme, but I’m so disillusioned about Gangsta’s Paradise. Anyway, obviously fantastic album. Unlike a lot of double albums, even ones on this list, it doesn’t feel bloated at all, and the track order flows perfectly.

Groovy!!!

Yeah one of the greatest things that’s ever blessed my ears

Nearly perfect album

Too damn good. Even the 'filler'* songs are head and shoulders above a lot of people's best work. *not really filler songs of course

village ghetto land--the lyrics and the music do not match. contusion--that's a jam session sir duke--and this is a bop i wish-- pastime paradise took an intermission at the end of disc one for lunch isn't she lovely--love this black man--i think i just gave myself whiplash by listening to this song while reading a statement from our supreme tangerine about immigrants. great song tho. if it's magic--great song. as--vocals: perfection. instrumentals: amazing. groove: impeccable. another star--there's only so many words i can use to describe this album as incredible. sorry, i'm not a music critic; i just enjoy it or not. saturn--depressing how this is just as applicable today as in '76. great song tho. ebony eyes--this one's a bop all day sucker--love some funkiness easy goin' evening--lovely instrumental outro easy 5/5. i think the album opened with the weaker songs and just kept getting stronger the further you go. not that any song was actually weak, just less strong than others on here. i wouldn't say the album as a whole was social commentary, but definitely some tracks were--black man, village ghetto land, saturn. intermixed well with songs about lighter things. the instrumentals were impeccable. the whole thing was just a groove, tbh. per usual, i think the long format probably works best in the context of having a physical copy, not so much on spotify where it autoplays the whole thing (hence my intermission, even tho i'm on spotify).

Stevie's best record hands down blending conscious, soul, and funk music

Stevie's opus Magnus. More evidence that he stands toe to toe with all the great songwriters, like Dylan and Lennon/McCartney.

I generally don’t like double albums, and before listening to this album, there’d only be two that I would be happy to listen to all the way through, which are the White Album and Tusk. Part of the reason why I like those albums are because it’s a pretty mixed bag across the runtime. For the White Album, you get the culmination of songwriters working on their own for months and putting it all together in a controlled mess. Tusk is more or less the same, where you switch from sorrowful and emotional ballads to weird and experimental fast songs. What sets this album apart is that while each song is distinct, it’s just all great songs through and through. It’s not beloved for the odd charm or how varied it is but the fact that it’s such a wildly strong album. Having a single album full of only good songs is already a feat to behold. Having a double album of them is unbelievable, but Stevie Wonder did it. It’s such a beautiful album about life, love, God, society, and basically everything. It’s groovy, it’s funky, it’s rhythmic, it’s too darn catchy. Most of all, it’s so easy to forget but this all comes from a blind man who despite being blind is able to see and communicate so much through his work. Just an absolute masterpiece.

i'm gonna lose my mind. i pulled up this album on youtube and the top result that youtube served under the same name and title was a dogshit acoustic guitar cover album by some guy named steve bruni. i just had it on in the background while working so i quickly forgot i was even listening to it thus why i got over my initial "oh i guess he's not immediately singing?" confusion. GOD. but the ACTUAL album!? it's stevie wonder. he fucking rules. "contusion", "isn't she lovely", "i am singing", "as", "another star", etc etc. so many flawless tracks here. i've joked a number of times for other artists along the lines of "no no, you gotta listen to his eighteenth album, that his best" except this legitimately is that good. a double album (or triple if you listen to the extra ep, i did not) that is outstanding start to finish. incredible work. we're so back.

D'you know how hard it is to make a great double album? One that I can listen through in one sitting, then go back for the best hits a second time round? It's hard! Not only does it require consistent killer songs, but it requires those tracks to have enough diversity to them to keep me hooked. Wow, does this do just that. Songs like "As" is 7 minutes of heaven, legendary keyboard work here. Every note feels like it was placed with purpose, and yet nothing feels sparse. Songs like Sir Duke is so god damn funky its impossible for me not to fall in love with this. So much breadth in style and genre is covered in this album and it is all done with unbelieveable consistency.

Insane album. Not a single thing yo say that hasn't already been said, ot deserves all the praise. 5/5, no notes

a really fun album to listen to, my go to for jazz or soul music

I mean, come on, what do I say here? If you don't like this album, it says more about you than it does Songs In The Key of Life. I love calling albums "human", I overdo it to such an extreme degree that I annoy myself with it, but this is truly one of the most "human" albums ever recorded. When you surround yourself with really miserable/upsetting/dark music (as I have, many times in the past, present and likely future), it makes records like this shine in a different way. Love's in need of love today, and every day. As essential as they come.

Stevie Wonder may not be blind, but goddamn this album slaps.

Hey man, 18 albums and you still put out an almost 2 hour album! Honestly… that’s just impressive. Magnificent album nonetheless, many bangers especially Sir Duke (and obviously Isn’t She Lovely).

Class

Have it on my list of albums I want, such a great album! From lyrics, music and melody, you can’t beat it.

Amazing album, wouldn’t have suffered by having maybe two songs less but from a full two disc album that’s amazing. 10/10

Obra maestra

Innovative and groovy.

When to listen: mood improvement. Stevie Wonder is a brilliant musician and I love this album so so much.

one of wonder's most popular albums, a complex, progressive, and gigantic... EXHIBITION of sound at play here, especially in the jazz and soul genres. absurdly smooth, peppy, and absolutely mesmerizing music here. every possible mood under the sun and back. does stevie wonder essentially have a "perfect" discography? the answer is unclear, but there's a reason why his music resonates with a lot of people across the globe. it's more than just the genre he composes in, he's one of those beethoven cases where despite a big hurdle in his life (being blind), he understands music in a deep level that most other people, let alone composers can't. imagine having no vision, but a brain and ears that are so full in sound everywhere, you essentially you discover sound as an essence that can be milked in such a way... it's insane.

Incredible! Will listen to again

So happy i got to listen to this again, an absolute masterpiece

Den gemte ikke mit review, øv. Men det er 5 (stjerneøjne-emoji)

Even better than I remember.

So goated so much sauce, quite possibly the best album of all time. Banger after banger, still sounds fresh. This album makes me feel things no other album can and makes me appreciate every aspect of my life. Definitely some songs that I don’t love, but too many bangers for me to really care. Stevie is the man

What can you say? This is the work of a musical genius and beyond critical appraisal. The greatest album of all time? Almost certainly.

The album is awesome! I like it

Not fully done but adding my review now in case this is my only chance. Not really my cup of tea, but man it’s good.

Classic very good no complaints

i can already hear it from folks "this album is too long", but ya know what, this album is jam packed with absolute JAMS. Contusion, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Saturn... I mean this album is just consistently putting out bangers, and it keeps going. i look at this like it were to come out in 1976. its so much content, there are so many good songs, and this would honestly make me so excited for this album. some of his greatest hits, some songs that have been sampled and become absolutely incredible songs... yeah, this gets a 5 stars

Ya some of the songs go on for a bit too long but it really doesn’t matter. Theres so much variety here and so much groove. I wish is an all time song for me. Stevie’s vocals are just so pleasing all over this album. Also, someone needs to tell bob dylan this is how you play a harmonica. I could listen to the harmonica solo on isn’t she lovely forever

I was a little skeptical coming into this album. Sure Stevie Wonder is good, but a 1h 45m long album is going to loose at least one star just for it's length. I was expecting to rate this 3 stars (4 star album minus 1 star for the length). Man was I wrong! This album is awesome! I get the hype. I was engaged the whole time. There are hidden gems in here like "Pastime Paradise", and all time hits like "Isn't She Lovely". There are political messages about racial poverty and stereo types. There are easy going instrumentals and get on your feet dance songs. I was sleeping on this album for too long.

This. This is the Stevie Wonder I was wanting to hear. This album is pretty much perfect. Earlier in this challenge I had Talking Book and I was a little underwhelmed, as I expected something different. Well, Songs in the Key of Life delivered on every measure. I loved basically every single song which is a hell of a thing considering the length of the album. I would say there’s no filler here, it’s like each song has been crafted to perfection. It’s just so pleasing to listen to, so full of sound with exquisite production. An instrumental feast with a plethora of musicians having a hand in. This is album #181, and it’s not just a 5 star, it may be one of the best overall albums I’ve heard so far.

I feel like I have nothing intelligent to say about this but it was just one one groove after another! Which is probably a duh, but I have never listened to a full Stevie Wonder album before, and the flow between all of it was amazing and I loved it all! Contusion and Another Star were the 2 I felt compelled to shout out in my listening notes

Yeah so this is maybe the greatest album of all, right? It certainly has to be in the top 3? Absolutely insane that this is Stevie’s EIGHTEENTH studio album, but what makes it great is that it feels like one that he had to make (and by all accounts he was ready to pack things up? ((but that $220m was too good to pass up?))). It’s full of joy and anger and soul, and it all feels like it comes straight from the heart. Sonically, it’s expansive and groovy and you can hear its legacy so clearly. I preferred Disc 1 but I really don’t think that matters here. Stevie summed up this album so perfectly with one line; “isn’t she lovely, made from love?”

The back-to-back hit of Sir Duke and I Wish knocks me off my feet (pun intended). Also, I was today years old when I realized that Gangsta's Paradise is based on Pastime Paradise. And Black Man is a JAM.

Álbum clásico, para el día a día. Le pongo un 10 🫶🏼✨

Classic

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Masterpiece - What a run! This isn't my favourite album of all time but it is a staggering achievement. It's just overflowing with joy and compassion and beauty. One of, if not the most life-affirming album ever made.

It’s Stevie. From his classics period.

agora tudo faz sentido

When I listen to this album, I get the feeling that Stevie Wonder was born to make music. His eighteenth album is of this quality. 9/10

There isn't much else to say about this album other than it really is one of the greatest albums ever made. Is it long? Absolutely. And while I'd normally say a few of the songs are too long, after almost 2 hours worth of listening, this is one of those rare albums that you wish was longer. Just absolute classic Stevie with so many classic songs. And if you aren't a Stevie fan and think Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" is an original, you need to listen to this album!

This album is like a man coming downstairs the morning after a night out with mates. His lovely wife has cooked pancakes with extra syrup. He sits at the table and immediately feels the warmth of the morning sun shining through the windows. Outside, he can see his children playing together happily, and their laughter is the only sound he can hear, other than the occasional bird chirping. “Are you hungover?” His wife asks, as she pours himself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Come to think of it, no, he isn’t hungover at all. In fact he feels great. The occasional memory of last night flashes through his mind every once in a while. All his friends were on good form, and everyone had a great time. As he finishes breakfast, his wife calls the children in and tells them it’s time to get ready for church. The man asks if they need to pick up his mother-in-law on the way to church, but he is told she has sorted a ride from someone else.

Amazing album with only a few off tracks. The musicianship on this is next level

Just an all around amazing album.

I love this album. I had already heard it before. Super groovy while also more chill, which is amazing. It fits every type of mood. I wish if probably my favorite song.

wonderfully pleasing

I don't even *have* to listen. Know this one well. It's gonna be five stars.

Loved as i expected, crazy to think about how much was sampled and well known that came off just one of Mr wonders Albums

# **Songs in the Key of Life** — In-Depth Album Review Released in September 1976, *Songs in the Key of Life* represents the creative apex of Stevie Wonder's "classic period." This ambitious double album (plus a four-song EP) stands as one of the most celebrated works in popular music history, winning Album of the Year at the 1977 Grammys and eventually being preserved in the Library of Congress for its cultural significance . --- ## **Overview & Context** After considering retirement to pursue humanitarian work in Ghana following back-to-back Grammy wins for *Innervisions* and *Fulfillingness' First Finale*, Wonder instead channeled his creative energy into this magnum opus. The album took approximately three years to complete and reportedly cost over $1 million to produce—an astronomical sum for the mid-1970s. Wonder famously purchased two Yamaha GX-1 synthesizers (at $60,000 each) during recording, demonstrating his commitment to sonic innovation . --- ## **Musical Composition & Production** ### **Genre-Defying Scope** The album hopscotches across an astonishing array of styles: R&B, soul, funk, jazz, pop, gospel, Latin, and progressive elements all coexist seamlessly. Wonder served as primary composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, essentially operating as a one-man auteur while bringing in session musicians (collectively dubbed "Wonderlove") to expand the sound . ### **Innovative Production** Wonder was among the first major artists to fully exploit early synthesizer technology. The album features pioneering use of synths to emulate orchestral instruments—notably the synthetic string arrangement on "Village Ghetto Land" that created an "uncanny valley" effect for 1976 listeners . The production maintains warmth despite its technological experimentation, with intricate percussion patterns, dizzying key changes, and complex harmonies that reward repeated listening . ### **Standout Instrumental Moments** - **"Contusion"**: An electrified jazz-funk instrumental featuring Michael Sembello's scat-like guitar solos and tricky time signature shifts - **"Summer Soft"**: Features so many key changes they become difficult to count, with rhythm sections that "go extra hard" - **"Another Star"**: Eight-and-a-half minutes of Latin dance fusion with "disco flute" and irresistible percussion --- ## **Lyrical Themes** ### **The Spectrum of Human Experience** The album's genius lies in its comprehensive emotional and thematic range: **Social Consciousness** - **"Love's in Need of Love Today"**: A plea for compassion in troubled times, functioning as the album's thesis statement - **"Village Ghetto Land"**: A grim tour through economic inequality, where "politicians laugh and drink" while the poor suffer - **"Pastime Paradise"**: A critique of privileged complacency—later famously interpolated by Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" - **"Black Man"**: A historical tribute to Black contributions to American society **Personal & Romantic Love** - **"Isn't She Lovely"**: An exuberant celebration of Wonder's newborn daughter Aisha (whose name means "life"), featuring actual recordings of her bath time - **"Knocks Me Off My Feet"**: A giddy, plainspoken love letter that captures the vulnerability of new romance - **"As"**: A cosmic declaration of eternal love using natural constants as metaphors, building from a slow simmer to a gospel-infused climax **Nostalgia & Reflection** - **"I Wish"**: Fond reminiscence of childhood mischief—impoverished yet simpler times viewed through rose-colored glasses - **"Joy Inside My Tears"**: Explores finding joy within sadness, distinguishing between fleeting happiness and enduring joy **Loss & Heartbreak** - **"Summer Soft"**: Personifies seasons as lovers who disappear, using meteorological metaphors for relationships - **"Ordinary Pain"**: A breakup song that shifts perspectives mid-track, with Shirley Brewer delivering a scathing response to Wonder's character - **"Another Star"**: Bittersweet celebration of lost love set to uptempo Latin rhythms --- ## **Cultural Influence & Legacy** ### **Immediate Impact** The album dominated 1976 commercially and critically, cementing Wonder's status as both a commercial powerhouse and artistic visionary. It proved that popular music could achieve artistic ambition without sacrificing accessibility . ### **Long-term Influence** - **Hip-hop**: "Pastime Paradise" provided the foundation for Coolio's 1995 hit; Wonder's harmonica lines have been sampled by artists including Snoop Dogg - **Contemporary R&B**: The album's fusion of jazz sophistication with pop sensibility influenced generations of artists, from Maroon 5 to Beyoncé (whose "Love on Top" explicitly channels Wonder's key-change techniques) - **Contemporary Christian Music**: Songs like "As" influenced the development of the genre through their spiritual messaging and gospel arrangements - **Library of Congress**: Inducted in 2005 for being "culturally significant" --- ## **Pros** | Strength | Description | |----------|-------------| | **Unprecedented Scope** | Successfully executes a double album where even deep cuts satisfy; virtually no filler across 17+ tracks | | **Musical Virtuosity** | Wonder's multi-instrumental prowess—particularly his drumming and keyboard work—remains breathtaking | | **Lyrical Depth** | Balances abstract poetry with blunt social commentary, romantic effusion with gritty realism | | **Innovation** | Pioneering synthesizer use that predated the 1980s synth explosion by years | | **Emotional Range** | Moves seamlessly from party anthems to spiritual meditations without losing cohesion | | **Pacing** | Expert track sequencing that builds from somber openings to euphoric closers | | **Timelessness** | Themes of love, social justice, and human resilience remain relevant nearly 50 years later | --- ## **Cons** | Weakness | Description | |----------|-------------| | **Opening Trio** | The first three tracks ("Love's in Need of Love Today," "Have a Talk with God," "Village Ghetto Land") are comparatively subdued and may require patience; some listeners find them "stilted" or "limp" compared to what follows | | **Runtime** | At nearly two hours, the album demands significant time investment that may challenge modern attention spans | | **Occasional Indulgence** | Some tracks (like the extended vamp on "Isn't She Lovely" featuring baby sounds) can feel self-indulgent | | **Dated Elements** | Certain synthesizer tones on tracks like "Ngiculela" sound distinctly "futuristic" in a 1970s way that hasn't aged gracefully | | **Uneven Distribution** | The second disc generally features longer, more experimental tracks that may lose listeners seeking immediate gratification | | **Lyrically Dated Language** | "I Wish" contains period-specific terminology that hasn't aged well | --- ## **Conclusion** *Songs in the Key of Life* represents that rarest of achievements: a commercially successful, critically acclaimed double album that actually earns its length. While the opening tracks may test some listeners' patience, the album rewards commitment with an emotional and musical journey that encompasses virtually the entire spectrum of human experience. Wonder's synthesis of technological innovation, compositional sophistication, and raw emotional honesty created a template for ambitious popular music that remains influential across genres—from hip-hop to contemporary R&B to jazz . The album's greatest strength is its conceptual unity: despite touching on love, social justice, spirituality, nostalgia, and heartbreak, it maintains coherence through Wonder's distinctive voice (both literal and artistic) and his unwavering belief in music's power to heal and unite. It is, as one critic noted, "a number one for political production, album production, conceptual production [and] lyrical production"—an achievement that "checks all the boxes" . **Overall Rating**: A landmark achievement in popular music, essential listening for anyone interested in the intersection of artistic ambition and commercial appeal.

music is love

Fantastiskt album! Texterna och musiken tillsammans skapar magi! Låtar som As, Another Star (magisk!), Pastime Paradise (Gangstas Paradise är baserad på denna), I Wish, Sir Duke hur bra som helst. Det enda är väl att jag kan tycka att albumet är i det längsta laget. Men herregud... Det är en petitess, albumet är skitbra och förtjänar en solid 5:a!!!!

A personal fave

272/1089 less than a minute into the first track and i already have goosebumps i never knew that Gangster’s Paradise was an interpolation/interpretation but hearing Pastime Paradise just made it make sense, like of course it came from a Stevie Wonder song Disc 1 down and i’m in awe a bit, this is exceptional so far. I love going into a beloved album and immediately understanding why it has that status. of the first 10 tracks i only didn’t save 3 Contusion (which i loved but didn’t save yet bc no vocals), Village Ghetto Land and Knocks Me Off My Feet both of which i still liked a lot but not to the same level didn’t like the baby crying sounds at the start of Isn’t She Lovely this was such a great experience, i saved 12/21 tracks and just overall had such a rich and rewarding time with it faves: Pastime Paradise, As, Summer Soft, Saturn, Another Star 88/100

Unexpected gangsta's origin Batman!

TOP TOP ALBUM!! loved the vibe so many favs cant name them all

10/10 flawless masterpiece

OUTRAGEOUSLY good

MASTERPIECE

The best album by one of the all times geniuses. No other way around it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is NUTS for an 18th album. The first two tracks were a little weak for me so I was worried I was about to sit through 2 hours of some weak sauce but no… Village Ghetto Land hit and then things just kept getting better for the album’s entire runtime. This is such a cool album man…

Debated here. 4 or 5. It is Stevie. Some great songs among lesser known songs. But it is Stevie.

On peut faire remonter mon Stevie Wonder awakening au visionnage répété de Happy Feet à partir de 2006, à partir de là impossible de mettre autre chose que 5 étoiles à cet album, même si c'est une fois de plus purement subjectif

huge album. it's ok.

Gonna be hard to beat this one, there’s not a low moment on this album… One of the most legendary albums of all time.

Classic album. Various different styles all executed excellently. There were some songs that I wouldn’t listen to again so I’d probably give it a 9 or 4.5 but I’m rounding up to 5 because it’s definitely better than zeppelin 3

perfect record no notes. This album makes me sad to know that one day Stevie will be taken from us. In the darkest of days we live in, it is at least comforting to know that so much love can live and be expressed in music.

Incredible album with chill music

I don't love every track on here but the ones are do, which is most of them, are soooooo good. Rare to hear such a mix of luscious, catchy and yet innovative and interesting songs. Also a 6/5.

Epic stuff

Typically, when you tell me that an album is almost two hours long, I'm not going to be excited about the prospect of having to listen to something that long. But when you tell me I'm listening to almost two hours of Stevie Wonder at his creative peak, my response is "how come I only get two hours?" It's not my absolute favorite album of all time (though it's certainly up there), but it's got a very strong argument for being the *best* album of all time.

If this album was just the first half, it would still be 5 stars. The songwriting on the first half is just one banger after another. The second half gets a little slow at times but Stevie's singing, playing, writing, and arranging are top tier all time great all the way through. Mfer plays DRUMS on a bunch of the tracks. Is there nothing he can't do? Has been a fav of mine for many years. The state of the art 1975 synth sounds are so tasty.

It's hard to make a truly great double album but this is a prime example. It's great all the way through even though I wish it had been two separate albums.

Great Vibe and truely legendary tunes.

Not just a great LP, but a template for so much stuff that came after it. Is it possibly a bit too long? Maybe. Does it matter? No.

Stevie's a genius and it's a pleasure to listen to this

Great album! A must have on the list and a must listen. Favorites the whole album

I think people throw around the word genius a bit too much when they talk about musicians, but Stevie is the real deal and this is his greatest work.

So musically diverse while still feeling like one album. Just so full of funk and soul.

This is amazing

I had already listened to the first recommended album

Latterligt godt

Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I know a lot of the songs How do I feel about this artist? I like Stevie Favorite song(s)? Sir Duke, As, I Wish, Have a Talk with God Overall Thoughts: The hits are fantastic. There is absolutely no filler in this album. Every song belonged. Yeah it’s long, but it all works together.

Album of the soul, every single song

Genius at work

I LOVEEEE THIS SHIIIIIIIIIIIIII

We could only be lucky to have a life this in tune.

This is one of those albums that’s been on my list forever, but I’ve never taken the time to sit down and listen to all 1 hour and 45 minutes of it. Now I’m wishing that I had made the time, because this album is a revelation. It’s completely brilliant, not just musically, but there’s a brilliancy and brightness to the way the music makes me feel. I think it’s hard to overstate the influence this album had on hip hop, funk, pop and even house music. It’s so lush, smooth, beautiful, and musically flawless. An absolute masterpiece.

Another piece in Stevie's immaculate run.

Songs in the Key of Excellence

Álbum excepcional!

Maybe a bit too long, but damn so many bangers!

Belter

I want to give it 6 stars.

Absolute legend 🔥

Listened to the first 20 minutes. Good vibes, I can tell lots of other music was inspired by it.

Incredible album. A full range from beautiful, deep melodies to fast, complex instrumentals. I believe Stevie Wonder truly may have created The Key of Life with this album.

I came into this knowing who Stevie Wonder was of course. I knew the big hits. I was also pretty intimidated by the nearly 2 hours of run time this monster carried. Wow was I wrong to feel that way. After listening to the album I feel like I have a deeper understanding of him as a person and music in the general sense as a whole. It's at the point that I'm making songs fight over each other for a space on my main playlist. I don't want to add 75% album even though it deserves it. Stevie Wonder volleys ballads, creative song ideas and lyrics back and forth with total foot tappers, the grooves that get you moving around, that WILL brighten your mood. I had a wonderful time listening to this and I will recommend this album to everyone who claims to be a music lover. A true work of art. Being transported back in time to listen to this album released only 3 years after my own father was born, I can STILL hear the inspiration in modern music. Absolutely stunning. (My listening notes) Disk 1 1. Intro was pretty good. 2. Unexpected fire. Didn't expect those unique detuned sounds and rhythms. 3. Stevie wonder, I was unfamiliar with your game. A moving piece for having only strings accompany his vocals. 4. Japanese rock vibes. Before that was established? Mr. Wonder may be a pioneer. 5. Try to listen and NOT tap your foot. Fun to hear a classic in here. Also this is when Stevie brings back his insane deep voice thing that's growing on me. Thought it was silly in the intro but now... I'm in. 6. Alright I'm convinced the accusations are in fact true. Stevie Wonder is a musical genius. Man lost his sight and gained the soul sense. 7. Thought this would be a ballad but the turn it took was nice and groovy. 8. Gangsters paradise?!?!?! I had no idea this was the sample. They just straight ripped the entire song. Special shout out to the gong. 9. Good song. Wouldn't bump this one but I enjoyed the listen. 10. That break down was incredible. My new best friend Stevie put 2 songs in one. If this ended here I would give it a 5/5. I'm hoping Disk 2 is just as strong. Disk 2 1. STRONG OPEN! Wowzers. Absolute bop. Imagine having to switch out the vinyl and this shit starts playing as you sit back down on the couch. 2. A little slow. Cant complain. Enjoying the vocal range. 3. Some political music to get the juices flowing. Easy to groove to. I'm not sure how I feel about having a history lesson shouted at me but I think its a good message none the less. 4. Didn't really expect this one. Totally different and still coherent with the accompanying songs. 5. Transition from track 4 on this disk was fantastic. Stevie does another slow song well. A very creative style. 6. Nothing this man makes is filler. I can definitely tell this disk is where he put his jammy jam songs on. We got a whole verse in the deep voice! Go off deep voice. 7. Immediately started dancing while making dinner. Absolute legend. Those horns are awesome. A total jam sesh. 8. Love this one too. This may have cemented this album as a 5 if it wasn't already. 9. (SAXAPHONE RIGHT HERE) Total banger. 10. He can't keep getting away with it. How does he keep getting away with it!? This was made in 1976... HOW is it so good? That is such a catchy chorus. 11. A slow almost childish end to an excellent ride.

Magic, amazing, no words needed, I love all of it. No skips 5/5

that´s one of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard, love it TODAY'S BIRD: Golden Pheasant

A total MASTERPIECE.

*1976. Double album. *What a great Sunday morning album. Some big hits here (Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise and Isn't She Lovely), as well as plenty melodic, happy, lovely songs. *I thought 1 hr, 45 mins was going to be excessive, but I listened to the whole thing while working. RATING - 8/10

feel like there were no bad songs on this - great vibes all round

i've heard a few cuts off this album, but never heard the full album. the length makes me a bit nervous but i don't think i'll be disappointed. it's Stevie Wonder, after all Love's in Need of Love Today - 5/5 Have a Talk With God - 5/5 Village Ghetto Land - 3/5 Contusion - 5/5 Sir Duke - 5/5 I Wish - 5/5 Knocks Me Off My Feet - 5/5 Pastime Paradise - 5/5 Summer Soft - 5/5 Ordinary Pain - 4/5 Isn't She Lovely - 5/5 Joy Inside My Tears - 4/5 Black Man - 5/5 Ngiculela - Es una historia - I Am Singing - 4/5 If It's Magic - 3/5 As - 4/5 Another Star - 5/5 Saturn - 4/5 Ebony Eyes - 4/5 All Day Sucker - 5/5 Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call) - 3/5 Average score: 4.4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, Here we go. This album is not a 5/5. It's bigger, a 10/10. A miracle of a piece of art. Stunning from start to finish, virtuous, lush, ambitious but so fucking engaging. Arguably, not only one of the best ever made- it can be considered for the top spot.

I don't know what I could possibly say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's easily Stevie Wonder's magnum opus, with nearly every song being a classic. There are clever stylistic shifts and genre changes throughout, but Stevie always keeps the funk grooving as the album keeps going. This is the kind of record that makes you glad that music as an art form exists.

Kontexten må ha nämnts otaliga gånger men tål att upprepas. På sin 21-årsdag skulle Stevie enligt kontraktet få fullständig konstnärlig frihet. Det han levererat fram till dess är naturligtvis fantastiskt i sig. Motownsoul när den är som allra bäst. Men det som skulle komma nu var något annat. Det börjar redan med 1971 års Where I’m coming from (får man inte gåshud av I never dreamed you’ll leave in summer, bör man omedelbart uppsöka läkare) och når sitt crescendo i Songs in the key of life. Det är nästintill omöjligt att inbördes ranka de sex album han släpper här. Alla är av yppersta klass. Beträffande Keys kan förstås den ständigt återkommande invändningen, ”hade han sållat bland låtarna till ett enkelalbum, då jävlar” höras till och från. Brukar själv hamna i de tankarna rörande många dubbelalbum. Men så inte här. Varje låt behövs. De funkiga, de jazziga och de soulmässande. Jag älskar groovet i Black man, hur han bygger och bygger i As och bönen om en värld där vi tar hand om varandra i ”Love’s in need of love today” (Egentligen är det otroligt att ett så i grunden platt uttryck kan låta så självklart när Stevie tar ton). Gång på gång, albumet igenom ser Stevie till att ”Knocks me of my feet”. Betyget då? Ja, det är väl en ickefråga.

Pretty astounding.

I guess I am not familiar with Stevie Wonder. I was born a little too late or I'm from the wrong demographic. I've never really listened to him, except on here. This was a surprise. I know that it is universally beloved, but now I know why. the songs are interesting. They're fun but not fluff. I don't love long albums and was worried when I saw the playtime, but then I found myself listening to it all over again. Easy 5.

I think one time I listened to "Sir Duke" on repeat over 50 times in one day (I was a child)

top 10 of all time

Ridiculous amount of massive hits, easy 5

FANTASTIC

It's a great album, and I really enjoyed it. Each song is a perfect combination of Steve's vocals and the musical elements of the song. Each song is like a separate world. Before listening to the album, I thought that "Gangsta's Paradise" was an original song.

Really great! 5/5

Really nice. Sir Duke and I Wish are classics. 4.5/5

This is so good. Not just is Stevie one of the best singers of all time but the music is also fantastic. So many talented people worked on these kind of albums back in the day.

A coherent masterpiece of soul and musicianship

So many recognisable tunes that were sampled by others. I love his voice and lots of catchy songs

For all intents and purposes, this is a perfect album, specially if you dispense with the extra tracks that almost work as a "deluxe version". If you concentrate and stick with the album from start to end it will take you so many places musically and spiritually that you had no idea an album could take you. As has always been one of my favorite songs of all time across all genres. Isn't she lovely, Sir Duke and I Wish are classic unskipable radio tunes. Everybody recognizes Pastime Paradise for the Coolio song. Knocks me off my feet, Talk with God and Ordinary Pain are incredible deep cuts, love hearing Minnie Riperton on that last one. The begining track is not as strong as the finishing one, but that last one is so bombasticly funky and danceble, it makes up for any weakness the album could've had. Few albums in history reach the heights this one takes you.

Almost perfect

This breaks every rule I have for music I like and somehow it's perfect. Have I been wrong this entire time? (no. let's not get carried away here. my opinions are still good and correct) songs about how cool music is are almost always bad but Sir Duke is flawless Isn't She Lovely is a plague sent to ruin singing contests and karaoke nights but here on the album it's delightful double albums are usually a sign the artist can't self-edit but I wouldn't skip a single track I don't do religious songs but I'm willing to overlook it here just so good. also how is this someone's eighteenth album, how are you still creating good music after seventeen other albums

I've been jamming with this massive album for almost two hours, I'm completely blown away by Stevie Wonder's genius. It's this huge, ambitious thing that feels like the key to understanding life, mixing funk, soul, and jazz perfectly. Releasing 21 tracks this good as your 18th album? Crazy! I was really impressed by how musical it all is. from "Sir Duke" to "Village Ghetto Land", every song counts and tells this cool story about love and and life. You can feel the impact of this record everywhere, it's wild how many modern songs are based on it. Hearing "Pastime Paradise" or "I Wish" makes it obvious why so many rappers and R&B artists sample it. Yeah, it's long, but it doesn't feel boring, it just feels like he had so much to say. From "Isn't She Lovely" to "As", this album is super important and still inspires me. Five stars, no doubt, it totally lives up to its reputation.

One of the best albums ever made... Simple. I was going to make a "Stevie, if you're reading this..." jokes, but figured that was extremely poor taste.

I had no idea that Gangster’s Paradise was practically a cover of a Stevie Wonder song! Faves include As, Sir Duke, I Wish, and Black Man. I can’t include Isn’t She Lovely bc the baby crying creeps me out 🤷🏻‍♀️

ok that was a w album, i had my doubts in the first few songs but they disappeared quickly

There’s part of me wants to give it four on account of being far too long, but the sheer scope of it is the point. Banger after banger, there’s so much wonderful music.

It really does deserve all the five-star praise. It's the masterwork of a generational talent who spent a decade and a half building to this. It's still so, so enjoyable to listen to.

1ere écoute : Franchement c'est un album vraiment incroyable, et c'est à mon sens impossible de ne pas être marqué. Il y a forcément au moins un son qu'on retient et qui sait vraiment nous faire rentrer dans le projet. Personnellement j'ai préféré toute la première partie avec "Love's in need Of love today", "Pastime Paradise", "Village Ghetto land" et "Sir Duke". C'est une partie très dansante et maitrisée avec une quantité incroyable de hits et des moments très spéciaux et dépaysants comme avec le jeu, presque aux sonorités classiques de "Village Ghetto Land" ou le coté "arabe" de "Pastime paradise". En bref il y a énormément de sonorités et c'est vraiment ce que je préfère dans l'album. Après voilà ça veut dire que la suite, ou du moins le début du disque 2 m'as moins marqué. Mis à part "Black man", il y a vraiment presque aucun titre qui a retenu mon attention et As que j'attendais comme un des meilleurs sons a en fait été une énorme déception voir le pire titre de l'album selon moi. Après, j'ai vraiment trouvé la fin très réussie avec la longue balade de "Another Star", puis la partie piano plus émotionnelle et grandiose sur "Saturne", et enfin un rappel au côté dansant du début avec "Ebony Eyes" puis on cloture l'album sur un morceaux simple à l'harmonica, nan franchement c'est un très très bon album, je pense qu'on ne peut rien mettre d'autre que 5. 2ème écoute : Franchement, c'est un des meilleurs albums que j'ai écouté de toute ma vie. En effet je trouve que l'entièreté de la tracklist est excellente, en réussissant selon moi à marquer d'énormes temps forts en nous faisant passer par la joie avec "Sir Duke", "Isn't She Lovely" ou "Ebony Eye" , mais aussi la mélancolie avec "Love's In Need of Love today" et "Another Star", ou encore la colère dénonciatrice avec "Pastime Paradise". Le projet nous transporte donc en tant qu'auditeur, et montre une diversité incroyable de sonorités dans les instruments, que ce soit avec les solos de guitares, le piano, l'harmonica, les trompettes, les bass lines funky... Il y a alors une atmosphère extrêmement riche, qui sait néanmoins garder un fil conducteur clé : "la musique, dans la tonalité de la vie". Car oui, tout l'album est une ode à la vie, qui le rappelle dans tous les sentiments qu'il fait passer, dans les sujets de sociétés, les différentes "conditions de vie" qu'il souligne, les cris de bébés de "Isn't She Lovely"... Tout suit le déroulement de la vie, de la naissance, au bonheur, à l'amour, à la mort. J'ai encore beaucoup de choses à dire sur Song In The Key Of Life, mais je pense que le mieux à faire, c'est de s'arrêter ici, et de lui donner un 5 étoiles.

4 of the best songs ever produced.

This tangent doesn't go anywhere: When I was eighteen, fresh-faced and lily-livered to the harsh ways of the world, my family went on a week-long Pacific cruise as one last dynastic hurrah before we were all blown to the corners of the state by the winds of life. I was young, dumb and broke, and so while everybody else was getting day-drunk and sunburned me and my younger brother spent most of our time at sea sitting in our cabin-room watching repeating reruns of old Nickelodean shows on the little CRT. To pass the time and find some reason to get outdoors that wasn't the buffet, I signed up for the Cruise Passenger Pop-Choir. It wasn't totally out of my wheelhouse - I'd been an accidental theatre kid in high school - but I must have been the only one there below the age of 60. I remember amongst the half-dozen of us I was the only tenor. The cavalry old ladies, all named after flowers in that archaic way that passed over the following generations, loved to dote over me and show me photos of their "gorgeous (sometimes great-)grandaughters". The conductor, who looked a dead-ringer for a stubble-faced Elijah Wood, brought us through a few pop staples that would no doubt be familiar with his pedestrian-pop octogenarian audience of Falstaffian singers, one of which was Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely". My musical palate, which up until this point had mostly been sated by ripped 90s alt-rock CDs and pirated electronic music, would be forever altered. I held a soft spot in my heart for Stevie Wonder from that day forwards, finding a warmth in his unrepentant expression of sweet masculinity and groovy soul. But that memory fled to the viscitudes of life. Years later, the first song my first bass guitar teacher taught me was Master Blaster, and he recommended I go back through Stevie Wonder's discography to get a "feel for the funk", starting with Songs In The Key of Life. I don't think I've ever been as instantly enamoured with an album since. It brings me back to simpler times; trying to impress long-distance proto-girlfriends, my heart a-thump with feelings that I would only understand in reverse. This record is an album that lives so totally in its own present time, a blissful melody of past and future so alike that neither can be distinguished from the other, and that richness serves it well for the length. As Kirkegaard says: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." All that to say that when people talk of SitKoL with the same hushed tones reserved for revered figures of religion, it deserves the accolates. It's pure groove, pure cool-cat, pure and unadulterated Quality that very few could ever hope to touch. Over one and a half hours of hip-shaking gold. Fifty years later it's the default album I put on when I have guests over and can't think of what else to spin up. Stevie Wonder is so goddamn *cool* in every syllable, in every note, in every one of those fasinating little grunt noises that he seems to make a lot. It's the kind of easy 5-star rating that makes the other 5-stars quiver in their boots. The only things I could really draw upon this album would be the length. I don't really mind it, and I find these sorts of complaints a little overdone (like a big cake, you can always put the leftovers in the fridge for later), but within the context of an hour a day I suppose it'll get on people's nerves. More than anything I think it's a testament to its production that it can even maintain an even and impressive keel of quality over such a protracted length. Fav tracks: Sir Duke, Contusion, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, I Wish, Another Star

literally a purely amazing album. Stevie wonder single handedly proves that missing one sense heightens your others cause wow this is good. I really don’t know what to add because this album is that good. One of the only ones on here so far that I’m glad is almost 2 hours long. Fav songs: loves in need of love today, sir duke, joy inside my tears, as

fav - isn't she lovely 95/100

If I had to choose what's objectively the best album of all time, this would be a strong contender. Not only is it totally perfect but also maintains its consistency for over 100 minutes. Whether he is doing lovely, smooth and warm ballads like on Love's In Need of Love Today, funky prayer anthems like on Have a Talk With God or just total r&b rockers like on As, he totally kills it. Pretty much every song here takes a different direction and they are all performed with so much passion and produced with so much detail that they are impossible to dislike. Contusion for example is an amazing jazz song that feels so lively and vivid. Sir Duke is one of the best songs about music ever, it's just so fun and life affirming. From there on the streak of banger after banger continues with the instantly recognizable Pastime Paradise and warm and groovy Summer Soft. Instrumentally this album is absolutely fantastic with so many details and layers, each listen uncovers something new. And the whole thing has just this incredible energy that cannot be found anywhere else. Definitely one of my fav albums ever.

Already listened to this one a few times before because it’s fantastic but I guess I wasn’t listening to the deluxe or something because I found some new ones. Contusion sounds like a Mario kart track and I’m glad I discovered it. Would absolutely listen to all of this again.

9/10

God damn this is great

Possibly the greatest album of all time. Enough said.

What a spectacular album. I offer no notes. I think this is a no-brainer.

Legendary artist, legendary album. I was fortunate to see the anniversary tour of this show in Montreal 10 years ago.

Demasiado bueno, me gustó.

Lovely, Passtime Paradise is an absolute masterpiece, 10/10

Genius. Perfection. Brilliance.