Reviews (page 3 of 15)
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.
perfect
Demasiado bueno, me gustó.
Lovely, Passtime Paradise is an absolute masterpiece, 10/10
Genius. Perfection. Brilliance.
This is what pop music should be.
Fantastic album, fantastic vocals, fantastic composition, everything sounds groovy, it the kind of album you let your kids listen to and they think it's magic Favorite Track: Joy Inside My Tears
Never listened to a Stevie wonder album. Not too shabby.
Absolutely solid gold. From front to back. Glorious. Could listen to it over and over.
Banger after banger after banger...
Very good album, but long
Songs in the Key of Life feels like home; it is warm, expansive, and impossibly generous.
If there was an option for 6 stars, this album would get it. An absolutely fantastic album, and once you've listened to it, you'll start hearing it in other places because it has (and deserves) that much influence.
Oh my gosh. I cried so many times listening to this album. So many of these songs I hear growing up but didn't realize they were all from the same album. I also had only ever heard them in passing or in movies so I never really appreciated it the way I did this too. This is absolutely beautiful. They way that the music is layed with each instrument and the vocals are incredible. While listening I had the thought of "i'm so sad I will never be able to make anything as good as this." And then by the end I was just grateful to be listening to it. I thought a lof my family while listening. How many of the good moments are behind us. Of how unsure I am how many good moments are left. And how happy I am to just be a note in the symphony of life. Thank you Stevie.
Unbelievable classic
Such a good one full of bangers
First time listening. Fantastic, start to finish. I can see why this is often ranked as one of the top albums of all time, well deserved. I will be for sure revisiting this one regularly.
Favorite track(s): Love's in Need of Love Today, Contusion, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, Black Man, As, All Day Sucker They're calling it the least bloated double album of all time. How did he do it? Heard before Previous rating: 9/10
This is a long one and it's nothing but hits, this is the kind of album this post was made for. Creative and catchy, I was enraptured, with a ton of stuff others have sampled. You know what, I'm gonna listen to it again now. An easy 5 stars.
This is one of my favorite "background music" albums.
People seem to write extremely long reviews about how great this album is, so I feel a little pressured to like it too. It is good, but as a double album it felt like work. I would feel mean giving it less than 5 stars.
Magic
Greatness isn’t perfection — it’s transcendence
High Bop Ratio (Bops per minute aka Bpm) and tons of variety. I was tapping my toes the entire time. Clearly the pop industry was copying his music for the next 20 years. Legend.
I have no words for Stevie Wonder. Every time I play one of his songs it hits me all over again. The depth, the soul, the feeling, the sheer musical power this man carries is unreal. He isn’t a national treasure. He’s a treasure to humanity. When he goes, a piece of the world’s soul is going with him. I’m not breaking down any of these tracks. They don’t need it. It’s perfection. Straight 10 out of 10.
Every so often, I generate an album from this project where my opinion is practically irrelevant because the album's place in history has already been cemented by decades of non-stop high praise. Songs in the Key of Life is undoubtedly one of those albums. Of course, Stevie Wonder is one of the most iconic musicians of the past 60 years and Songs in the Key of Life is widely regarded to be his greatest masterpiece. Now, this is my fourth and final album of his that I've listened to for the album project, so I can finally make a statement on whether I agree with that sentiment or not! I do. Yeah, the people were right. This may genuinely be one of the greatest albums ever made. I want to start my praise with one of the most impressive aspects of the album. You see, Songs in the Key of Life is a double album. That's nothing new. Many of the greatest artists and bands have legendary double albums. Even in 2026 alone, I've already reviewed both Exile on Main St. and Blonde on Blonde, so I'm well-versed in iconic double albums. But here's the thing. Songs in the Key of Life isn't just a double album. It's that plus a bonus EP at the end, which leads to this thing having 21 songs and a runtime of over 100 minutes. That's a lot of time for an album, and I know from experience that the vast majority of 90+ minutes albums have weak songs and moments. Even an album as highly praised as the Beatles White Album has multiple songs you can point to and call bad without getting much pushback. But this album? There is not a single wasted second on this thing. Every single song is great, and for a record of this length and scope, that is seriously impressive. You'd have to be one of the greatest musicians to ever live to pull off an album like this, and it just so happens that Stevie Wonder is that guy. I genuinely believe that Stevie Wonder is one of the most talented musicians currently alive, if not the most talented, and this album is proof of that. The musical talents are on point, which is impressive considering that the man responsible for these songs literally can't see anything. But of course, Stevie's blindness is merely a physical one, as albums like this have made it abundantly clear that his musical vision is as sharp as it can be. And his singing? Just wonderful. I love it. But these are things I've already talked about. I need to talk about 1/6th of the album's title, that being the songs that make the album so great. I won't talk about every song because that would be insane, but I'll bring up some of the highlights. "Love's In Need of Love Today" works perfectly as the opener. It sets up the themes of love and life that permeate through the entire album in a song that you can't help but enjoy. "Sir Duke" is genuinely a perfect song. It's hard for me to think of a single song that's as uplifting and happy yet musically rich as this. Combine that with the name drops from some of the greatest jazz artists of the past and you get what is quite possibly the best representation of the magic of music you can get. "I Wish" is super cool. This is one of those story songs that really adds depth to the album's themes. The focus on childhood for this one helps to capture all parts of one of the other 1/6ths of the album's title, life. Another song about childhood on the album is the classic "Isn't She Lovely" which is, rather fittingly, a lovely song. It's a very nice tribute to Stevie's daughter. That knowledge makes me happy. "As" is one of the longer songs on the album and I really love it. That's another one of the neat things on this album. There are 7 songs here that are over 6 minutes in length, and none of them go on for too long. "As" might just be the best of them. Stevie's vocal delivery is the star on this one. The way he changes his delivery as the song goes on is a nice touch. I think "Another Star" is one of the clearest moments of this album being better than Stevie's other masterpiece, Innervisions. That album had a song called "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" which had a Latin flair to it that was neat, but I think that could've been executed just a smidge better. "Another Star" is that. I think the horns are what really makes this song work for me. I could go on and on. I could talk about the more political songs like "Black Man." I could talk about "Pastime Paradise" and how a ton of people probably had no idea that Coolio interpolated a Stevie Wonder song for "Gangsta's Paradise." When the weakest song on an album of this length is the instrumental closer, that's how you know the album is great. There's something special about Songs in the Key of Life, and I think it's worth comparing it to other all-time classic albums to see what it is. Part of it is the length, but I think the biggest part of it is just how happy the album is. Most of the other contenders for "Greatest Album of All Time" aren't particularly happy. Even within the 1970s, I don't think I could call albums like The Dark Side of the Moon, Rumours, or Unknown Pleasures "happy albums." Do they have room for happy moments? Some of them, yes, but I wouldn't say that joy is the core of any of those albums. Songs in the Key of Life is different. This album spends its time reminding you that love and life are always there. Things like music and family are worth living for. The length of the album could be seen by some as a detriment, but I view it as something that was necessary for an album like this. It shows that, even over the course of what seems like forever, great things are sure to come. Between that and the sheer excellence of the music, I have no problem calling Songs in the Key of Life a masterpiece. It is an exciting showcase of some of the greatest musical talent of our lifetimes and, as if it hasn't done so already, it is sure to live on in the hearts and ears of many more to come over the decades of the future. But you already knew that. 5/5.
Caramba, que álbum PERFEITO. Não teve uma faixa que eu não tenha gostado, mas “Have a Talk With God” e “Black Man” chamaram minha atenção demaisss. Estou feliz de ter conhecido esse álbum, fiquei muito impressionada ao saber que o Stevie Wonder sofre de cegueira, mas esse é um fator que só contribui para o seu talento aguçado com música. HOJE TIVE AULA DE CULTURA e HISTÓRIA. TODOS deveriam escutar Black Man.
My comment on The Smashing Pumpkins album was that it was far too long. But Stevie Wonder's album is almost as long and I don't give a damn. I knew from song 1 that this was going to get a 5+. Also, his 18th album, um, how come you still have inspiration? Village Ghetto Land could easily be turned into a musical, and I love it! Nothing to complain about!
Meine Güte, ist das fantastisch. Aus unerklärlichen Gründen habe ich das Album immer gemieden, weil ich dachte, dass das bestimmt nicht mein Genre ist. Zudem hatte die stattliche Länge des Releases stets etwas abschreckendes. Aber hey, es ist unfassbar gut, da sind nur starke Songs drauf. Es ist unfassbar gut produziert und soundtechnisch echt zeitlos, das könntest du locker auch heute so veröffentlichen, obwohl es ursprünglich 1976 (!) erschien. Ein sehr vielseitiger und gekonnter Stilmix, Vocals und Band sind absolut klasse. Bisher die mit Abstand stärkste Neuentdeckung dieser Reihe, toll!
Loved it!
most obvious 5/5 of all time
masterpiece. I would've never listen to it on my own so I'm really glad for this project. I knew Stevie because of higher ground but really nothing else. this album was so sooooo good. my fav songs: have a talk with god, I wish, knocks me off my feet, as, pastimeparadise
lovely lovely lovely just wanted i needed today
A masterful work by one of the best. Stevie Wonder brings such positive emotions through his music.
Don't even need to listen to it. An all-time classic!
Genuinely incredible
Love’s in need of today Have a talk with god Contusion (!) Sir duke (!) I wish (!!) Pastime paradise (!) Summer soft (!) Isn’t she lovely Joy inside my tears (!!) As (!!) Saturn Ebony eyes (!!!) All day sucker Топ, Стиви Уандер секс, фанк соул, много фишек которые потом будут видны у Майкла Джексона Хайп, модное звучание, крутой альбом 9/10, но есть пару нудных тем
I am not usually a fan of any song after five minutes, but even with these longer songs I was uplifted by this music.
Just so good. I found it hard to even get past the first song because I just want to keep listening. It’s gorgeously done and so interesting. I have listened to this album many times and it just never gets old.
Hard to do much better than this. A flawless record by someone at the peak of their powers. A commitment due to its length but one worth making.
Songs in the Key of Life, what can I say without being too biased? I used to hear this album on my way to my previous job, the instrumentals with headphones are so immersive. People usually talk a lot about his artistry as a singer and pianist, but this album is a solid reminder of his phenomenal skills as a songwriter. I remember I started listening because I loved Isn't She Lovely (an absolute classic), and ended up discovering an album where it's hard to pick a single favorite track. For highlights this time, I'd choose Village Ghetto Land (lyrically), I Wish, and Saturn.
Working through this list has given me a much better appreciation of Stevie Wonder. The man really was a creative genius, leaning into new tools and instruments to derive new sounds as he does with the synthesizer on this record. This lush beauty of an album displays Wonder’s genius in mixing different styles in a way that really taps into my emotional receptors. This album demonstrates great musicianship and also Wonder’s meticulous attention to detail in production. This album took two years to make, which was an eternity for albums at the time. This is a timeless record that has proven to be highly influential to much music that followed in its wake.
Super Dope
A true classic - what else can I say?
Spectacular album holy moly
One of the great albums- has so many classics like Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely, Pastime Paradise that are complemented by a great range of other songs that give a flavour of 1976 as a musical and historical moment. It’s *long* but well worth your time.
What can I say? This is quite simply one of the greatest albums ever made. It's astonishing that he could maintain such quality not only across a sprawling main double album, but also a bonus EP for good measure. The twenty-one tracks cover a whole range of styles and subjects, and in all cases the songs are some of the best he ever wrote. Its power to move me remains undiminished after countless listens. This is truly Stevie Wonder at the absolute pinnacle of his powers, and to think that he almost quit the music business prior to recording it!
I've found myself vibing with this album and being completely taken over by the music of it, only to stop and listen to the lyrics and be hit with a wave of sadness in those words. And other times I would forget about the music and be overwhelmed by a colorful picture Stevie Wonder is painting with his words instead. And in the end, I'd forget both and just become incredibly horny for him instead. I loved it.
Wundervolles Album.
Timeless
I'm not going to overthink this, it's probably a tad too long but there are some all time hits here that are Stevie Wonder at his absolute best. Earnestness is a really difficult tone to strike in great albums and he nails it here. Shoutout to the As and Another Star dance party at the end of this album too.
My god, Stevie might be the best to ever do it. This is a movie's worth of music and it's all perfect. So much soul searching, soul healing, soul magnifying music. Utter perfection.
Brilliant 5/5
Truly perfect album, dance tracks, love songs, justice songs. Unreal.
I’d already enjoyed a few songs, but I‘m kicking myself for not delving into the entire album earlier! This is some of the coolest stuff.
A truly amazing album. In my view the second greatest in history by a true revolutionary artist. Here Wonder sings about exactly what the title suggests. Every facet of life. Politics, religion, love, childhood, parenthood, and so much more. It’s a gorgeous album and will change your life
So many stellar songs on this album. Despite its length, it's never boring thanks to incredible musicianship and diversity of styles.
such talent.
I mean, this thing is just fucking perfect, right? I have a vinyl copy, but I streamed the remastered version this time around. It might be the most impeccably produced recording I've ever heard. It's almost 50 years old, but it feels like it could have been made in a modern studio, like, yesterday. The songs are great, the playing is great, the message is great, and it's just an absolute pleasure to hear. Six fucking stars out of five idgaf.
I had forgotten how great this album is!
Wonder
preach!
Epic in scale and scope, but unlike so many other ambitious albums of the era, the songs on here are what keep you coming back every time. In fact, most of the rest of this review is going to be song titles from the album: "Love's In Need of Love Today"! "Sir Duke"! "I Wish"! "Isn't She Lovely"! "As"! It's still Stevie's magnum opus in the popular imagination for good reason, showing him at his peak as performer, songwriter, and bandleader (seriously, check out the album credits, which are also fascinating) that even at its most serious is still just so full of joy and....well, life!
Long, but amazingly no skips. A classic for a reason.
Happy to groove with Stevie any day
This might be the longest album I got so far, so I have a lot of listening to do today. But gladly already familiar with this great work, already rated 4.5 on RYM so could go either way here, but I would be leaning towards 5.
Amazing from start to end. Great energy, even on the longer songs - it never felt like they dragged. Varied and lovely sounding instrumentals.
Classic Stevie! Magnificent Album
Generationally incredible album alert
ya so ... best album of all time status?
An absolute classic. Great music and awesome vocals.
One of the best albums of all time. Everyone should listen to it at least once.
Stevie. Don't really need to say much more. This is such an important album. Enjoyed every minute of it.
starting off with a classic, i see. very widely discussed but not an lp i've ever actually sat down and listened to. composition and arrangement and performances and production are fantastic. lyrics pinball between great, vapid, and incomprehensible, which is above average for the genre imo. putting this in the pop album category is a weight mismatch, but i dunno as you can call it anything else. banger.
Stevie s'est donné à fond pour celui-là. Du stock qui aurait pu en faire 3 albums.
C'est drôle je me suis levé ce matin avec Living for the city dans la tête ! Et j'avais réécouté Innervisions ce week-end. Je pensais que j'avais déjà écouté Songs in the key of life, mais je réalise que non grâce à 2 constats : - je savais pas que c'était un double album - gangsta's paradise vient du grand Stevie Wonder! Je pense je préfère globalement Innervisions parce que celui-ci a des longueurs. PAR CONTRE incroyable jeu d'harmonica de M. Wonder sur plein de pièces (isn't she lovely), l'exploitation mélodique de cet instrument esr rare en pop, on le voit plus en jazz, mais même là très rare. Et le combo groove bass synthé en midi me fait penser à Hancock ++. L'originalité harmonique est encore une fois au rendez-vous, c'est un 5 étoiles all in all pour moi
THIS SHIT SLAPS
All time favorite album.
Banger after banger, production engaging, interesting and perfect such a good album to listen.
Top 3: 1. As 2. Another Star 3. Love's In Need Of Love Tonight
one on my fav albums of all time already I really needed this today thank you.
I'm very glad I had Throbbing Gristle yesterday to prepare myself for this. It's not exactly an approachable album coming in blind. Look, there's not much to say. Even for someone as clueless as me who knew all of 2 Stevie Wonder songs (As and Superstitious), this is a gorgeous album full of absolutely fantastic songs. Guy can sing and the songs are so musically rich. I refuse to believe this is a double album (!) and his 18th studio album (!!) and there's like 1 or 2 filler songs at most. I am very glad that this project, even 50 days in, has opened my ears to the Motown sound because I'm really enjoying it.
One of the best Albums in history of music
No notes. Stevie Wonder should be more celebrated.
Wonderful
Unreal
DAMN!!!!! It's no secret that Stevie Wonder is considered one of the best to ever do it, but I had somehow never actually listened to an album of his. It speaks volumes, then, that I recognized just about all of Disc 1 here from song samples and reinterpretations alone! Then Disc 2 starts with Isn't She Lovely, which if you're like me, might have been the only track you recognize from title alone -- but going into the record with only that knowledge does NOT prepare you for how funky and soulful the experience is gonna get, nor for the sheer stylistic variety in the near-2 hour tracklist. When he started doing straight jazz fusion on Contusion, that's when I knew this was a 5. It might not be my personal GOAT, but I 100% understand why it belongs in the conversation for overall best album of all time. Standouts: Love's In Need Of Love Today • Have A Talk With God • Contusion • Sir Duke • Ordinary Pain • Isn't She Lovely • As • Another Star • Ebony Eyes • All Day Sucker
This is his Sgt. Pepper’s album; brilliant, beautiful, and poignant.
This gets 5* for Sir Duke alone. But the rest of the album is rather excellent. Probably 4.5*, overall, but definitely rounding up.
one of my favorites. just finished a 6 hour podcast on his 5 album run…
So so good
Not sure why this one was so hard for. The first three-four tracks turned me off so much and honestly i think its because i hate when Stevie tries to write social commentary. It just comes off as forced and out of touch. BUT as far as love songs, funk and musicianship - i mean, the album is this highly rated for a reason. Yes its long (to long), yes some of the tracks (IMO the first three in particular) are weaker - but look..."Contusion" to "Isn't She Lovely" on its own - would make the greatest album ever written.
# Album Name: Songs In The Key Of Life # Artist: Stevie Wonder # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: When Stevie is big, he is big!!! Massive hits. Its absolutely unreal this is stevies 18th album. Wowzaaaaaa. Id have given in by that point. The quality of this thing is unreal. Its a real testament to SW he kept going for so long. Theres a number of filler songs or songs that extend for way too long into the 6-8 minute mark. Overall a fantastic album, albeit, a tad too long. # Top Tunes: Too damn many # Would I listen to it again? Yes
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This double album can be rearranged to two albums where one is 3 and the other is 5. I was originally planning to therefore land on 4, but the "5" songs are so strong that I think it's only fair to recognize the musical achievements this album brings forward. This is my second Wonder album, and in both I got a feeling that Wonder doesn't really filter out which songs to include. He's a phenomenal musician, maybe even a generational one, so nothing is "bad", but even well crafted songs can end up not landing, that's just the nature of music. I guess for some people his weaker songs also land, and in that sense, cutting them could be seen as a waste. For me, it just means that his albums are amazing songs surrounded by mediocre ones. With his love of repetition, the mediocre ones overstay their welcome. But the good ones make the wait worth it. Mixing wise, this album is far far superior to his other album I've rated, "Talking Book". Separated by only 2 years, but the craftsmanship and attention to detail is on a whole other level.
This is another all time great album. There are some duds. I don’t really like village ghetto land
JESUS. Perfect.
Top 10
Love this album, the essential of soul music
Listening session: january 17th, while going on a walk Listened to before: yes, listened to most songs many times, but never front to back Thoughts: I love Stevie Wonder and this is exactly what I needed today Favourite tracks: As, If It’s Magic & Love’s In Need Of Love Today
Stevie igjen, denne gangen med et dobbeltalbum. Prog-soul her. Første plate er fantastisk. En god blanding av hjertefølte sanger, som Love's In Need of Love Today og Knock Me Off My Feet, og fartsfylte bangere, som Sir Duke og I Wish. Også må vi ikke glemme Pastime Paradise, som overrasket meg enormt da jeg først sjekket ut dette albumet tilbake i 2023. Andre plate fremstår noe mer eksperimentell; det inneholder blant annet flere innslag som minner om Disney-musikk. Her finner man også noen av albumets beste sanger; for eksempel sosialt bevisste Black Man og kjærlighetserklæringen As, i tillegg til mange sanger med kul og drivende produksjon; deriblant Another Star og All Day Sucker. Jeg vurderte lenge å gi dette en firer, da jeg ikke nødvendigvis er så gira på å lytte til dette på repeat, men det virker urettferdig. Fem stjerner. Top 3 Plate 1: Knocks Me Off My Feet, Sir Duke, Ordinary Pain Plate 2: Black Man, As, Joy Inside My Tears
Brilliant album. It was longer than what I'm accustomed to, but I absolutely loved it.
Wonderful album. Stevie Wonder is, for real, an extremely multi talented musical genius. This is an album that will make you a very happy person whenever you listen to it <3 Easy 5
Another star easily my first unknown track that has caught me off guard and I've fallen in love with the music again Top tier album with so many unexpected amazing album tracks around the hit singles
LOVE LOVE LOVE!! the album title perfectly describes the humanistic essence of this album. i love how stevie wonder keeps to his musical memo, but explores different sounds throughout. i love the synth and rock elements seasoned throughout. favorites: knocks me off my feet; ordinary pain; as
A heavy hitter! This is probably exactly what I was thinking of when I signed up for this: a classic album with iconic singles but one where I'd never sat down and listened to the whole thing through. Great. Do the slower synthesiser ones grab me? Not exactly. Do the 7-minuters hold my attention the whole way through? Not really. Am I glad I listened to the whole thing? Absolutely.
Classic, duh. Needs more stars.
I enjoyed the vast majority of this album, so playful and fun but also some really powerful messages!! It’s of course a classic and was a great start to the listening journey
A true masterpiece.
Out of curiosity I looked through the 1 and 2 star reviews and I was not surprised that I had stumbled upon a small collection of just the dumbest idiots on the internet. This is easily a 5 star album just for having I Wish and Sir Duke, but the rest of the songs are incredible too.
Banger after banger
A very fair and respectable contender for greatest album ever.
Perfect album
I loved it to be honest! Very upbeat energy with a jazzvibe.
So many great songs. Very solid!
So much musical skill on display! Really fun to listen to.
Such a banger of an albummmm. I absolutely loved it, and not just because I had a Stevie Wonder obsession as a kid. Every track is just perfection. Love love love.
This is cracking throughout. Varied- goes from toe tapping to introspective. Bangers on disc one but takes off second disc
Classic!
wow a must listen for every fucking one
9.5 / 10
Always been a favourite anyway but revisiting was a lovely way to start this project, I fear I may have peaked too early... Playlist track: Sir Duke
Love this compilation of Stevie Wonder works! Soulful and inspiring!
amazing. one of my fav albums of all time
Wahey, Songs In The Key Of Life - been waiting for it. Great overall. I appreciate it is LONG, and some of the songs dawdle on an ending, but it is jolly good. Sir Duke, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Isn't She Lovely, and As are my favourites - they stand out more than the rest. No real themes throughout, just some great concepts, lyrics, singing, and music. Thanks Stevie. Finally!
Wow! What an album. And to think that he nearly walked away to work with disabled kids in Africa. Another reviewer wrote that "In a cynical world so often full of gloom and pessimism, anger and despair, love will always the save day and that’s what Songs In The Key Of Life is ultimately about." I like that line so much that I'm stealing it.
The excitement I felt when I was given this album by the generator is only comparable to the excitement I feel when pulling a 5 star in a gacha game. This album has been on my list of albums to listen to since I first played Sir Duke in band class in high school and it didn't disappoint. Despite the crazy runtime it never feels like it drags. There's not much more I can say about Stevie's infectious energy or incredible songwriting that hasn't been said. Incredibly easy 5 stars.
Slowish start, gets upbeat and fun and nostalgic. 4-5 stars, great album!
Pretty peak listen
very beautiful, soulful and thoughtful
I was excited that this album came up. It’s like the baby daddy of all the modern music I grew up listening to, but had never had a chance to listen to the album end to end. Some of the instruments sound a bit cheesy, but the arrangements are timeless.
This is overall a great album. Not every song is a banger, but enough are to make this a must listen. Favorites: Sir Duke, I Wish, Ordinary Pain, All Day Sucker, Pastime Paradise 5
One of the greatest
I love Stevie. What can I say about Stevie Wonder that hasn’t already been said? He’s an amazing musician and made an amazing album. This didn’t feel like a double album because it kept me engaged the whole time.
Amazing album all the way through. It's missing someone when listening to it streaming, though, because you don't get the divisions of the two LPs and the extended EP that shipped with the original pressing. I was recognizing the origins of hip-hop tracks from Stevie, and I'm glad he got composer credits over there.
nice, but a litttle bit long some times
Love Stevie, he's a genius
This album is great. It's so much fun. Talent is off the charts. Why is it a double album and nearly two hours long??? Double albums are my worst enemy at this point
Incredible
Banger after banger. First time hearing this album, will not be the last.
unreal
freaking amazing holy shite
The best soul album ever written
great
A little Christmas treat for me, wowee. I've been looking forward to listening to this album for a long time. As expected, this thing is brilliant. The run time is absolutely ridiculously long but honestly I am all here for it. If I were sitting down and listening to this I would definitely want a breather in between the first and second LP. I can only imagine the people who hate this genre/Stevie Wonder who would be in torture having to endure this long ass album. Every song on this is just brilliant. I must say though, the crying baby noises at the start of Isn't She Lovely is super offputting. Ever tried playing that in front of a group of friends? You look like a weirdo. Anyways, easy 5. Not much else to say since this has been reviewed to death and is easily a top 10 albums of all time OBJECTIVELY.
174/1001 Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ When I opened the app this morning, I had large grin on my face st getting this record. Yes there could be some songs cut, but honestly this was such a pleasure to listen to.
Absolutely love his run of 5 albums from 72 Music of my mind to this album. Rightfully viewed as a classic, a masterpiece. So uplifting, a joyful soulful experience, funk heaven, what grooves that this just came from the one man, now that is someone with talent. When a double album isn’t too long, just going from great track to great track, it is Without doubt 5 Star
The definition of a timeless classic. The total runtime is slightly long, but the time flies by when listening to it. The songs on here could have been made last year and I would have believed it. Stevie is flawles. Just fabulous all around. Easy 5/5
Zum ersten Mal komplett gehört … das wurde mal Zeit, würd ich schätzen.
In den Top 10 meiner Lieblingsalben ever. Hellt mir zuverlässig die Stimmung auf und zeigt eine enorme Vielseitigkeit.
This album feels like the peak of a man at his very best. One thing I really enjoy about Stevie Wonder not only on this project but through his whole discography (at least the records he had most control over) is how he uses different influences in his production. This is shown across this whole album with it feeling bigger than life itself. I feel like there is more I can say and maybe one day I will but the fact that anyone can make an album like this so good is fascinating in itself.
stevie is the greatest and this is one of his best. Nothing else to say really.
Easily Stevie's best, and that's saying something because the previous albums I've got were fantastic in their own right. Pretty great that the album is basically just banger after banger for nearly two hours. Almost no fillers (Village Ghetto Land didn't really hit for me), classics in Sir Duke and I Wish, and my favorite discoveries on this one being Black Man and Another Star. Fantastic album, and definitely understand why its considered one of the best of all time.
Masterpiece. Life is Good.
Revisit,
Not for me
Yeah. This is the greatest album ever made, ever. Argue with a wall. It's an ode to life itself, and all of its emotions, mysteries, tragedies, and beauties. This man Stevie went into the Avatar State of every Black musician to grace this earth and radiated a beam out of his soul. This is the first body of work we need to show the aliens when they arrive. It's imperative. It's almost two hours long, but it should be at least four hours. Some of the most amazing musicianship I've ever heard in my damn life.
Another double album, another absolute classic! 'Love's in Need of Love Today' kicks off a 90-minute opus of personal discovery and sonic experimentation. While a few experiments inevitably miss the mark across that massive runtime, the ones that hit—like 'Sir Duke'—manage to feel simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic. Stevie's social conscience shines brilliantly on tracks like 'Pastime Paradise' (which will instantly ring bells for any '90s hip-hop fan—hello, Coolio), before he closes things out with a sumptuous, gospel-influenced trip back to the dance floor. A truly great record.
I didn't know Sir Duke was by Stevie Wonder. I also didn't know Wild Wild West is a straight copy of Stevie Wonder's I Wish. I also didn't know Gangsta's Paradise "heavily samples" Pastime Paradise. Just me realizing the ridiculous reach of this album, and how often I hear this guys song-writing without even knowing. Disc 1 blew my mind. Disc 2 was pretty good.
Rating: 10/10 now THAT is a SKIPLESS record. I truly didn’t realize just how effortlessly Stevie makes this 1hr45min album feel like not a single moment is wasted, it’s divine and uplifting and inspired the entire way through. We all know who Stevie Wonder is. He’s a blind black man. Who created this work of art 50 years ago. This is a guy who knows he can do absolutely anything he sets his mind to and wants you to feel the same while listening to his soulful rhythms. A really cool album cover as well, and probably the most perfectly apt album title ever conceived. I have to seriously consider if this is the greatest musical achievement ever, it honestly still feels like the future.
i like, can see where this has been used as inspiration for other songs. listened to on 16/12/25 whilst driving around doing errands
El mejor álbum de la historia. Punto se acabó.
If there is a better album on this list, I don't believe I've heard it. This is the benchmark by which all musical creativity should be measured, twentieth century pop music does not get any better. I'd give another star if I could.
This was a great listen. Not going to lie, I was a bit apprehensive when I saw there were 21 songs over 1 hour 44 minutes. Great production, some catchy tunes, Stevie obviously can sing and there was a nice mix of styles and tempos (unlike say the Sinatra and Loretta Lynn snoozefests I had on my listen list last week). Bravo, Stevie, I really enjoyed it.
Day 125 So many classics on one album, as easy a 5/5 as there is on this list Highlights Sir Duke Pastime Paradise Black Man
Banger, quelques tubes connus (Sir Duke), ça donne le smile
J’ai noté cet album avant de l’écouter car… j’ai le vinyle, je le connais très bien. Je l’écouterai après ! C’est un artiste que j’aime beaucoup, album avec des sons que j’aime profondément (as, pastime paradise, I wish, isn’t she lovely, etc etc). C’est un album qui fait du bien
Banger cet album, je connaissais Isn't She Lovely évidemment mais tout le reste de l'album est top. J'aime bien la vibe Stevie Wonder je pense 5/5
At its core this is a political album with a dance beat. I’m rarely a fan of double albums, but this is one of the few that justifies its length. A great talent and a great person. Low 5
#1 album of 1976 and my favourite from Stevie. Chock full of amazing tunes right up to, but not including, the last 2 tracks, which would have been on the b side of the accompanying EP.
Reasonably speaking this is all v high quality, I need more listens but I think it’s a v low 5 for me and his best that I’ve heard so far
I don't think it'll be in my regular rotation but it is an excellent album!
Alla hits man känner igen, mycket bra
I hadn't listened to much Stevie Wonder before this and I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. I enjoyed every song on the album, in particular I thought "village ghetto land" was quite a beautiful song and was followed by "contusion" which had some great guitar sections. "Summer soft" was a good 'bop' and was very nice to listen to. I also enjoyed the lyrics and message of "Black man". Really enjoyable overall, great listen. 84/100 Score edited 28/01/26
Well hot damn I haven't had a 5 for a while. He's a genius, that's it.
Very nice listen! Would listen to it again. The almost two hours did not feel like almost two hours. The commentary on racism was also very onspot.
So much has been written about this album that I feel I don't have much to add. It's not completely perfect. Some of the ways Stevie Wonder approaches his themes are a little dated, and the album is a bit sprawling. But this is one of the best popular expressions of the unity of all of humanity in general and Americans in particular. It's a masterpiece. Five stars
Fantastic. Pretty much a near perfect record. Listened 04/13/2021
Not much more you can say about this album that hasn't been said before. Incredible songwriting, performance and influence... just a stone cold classic and my goto Sunday morning album. The Legacy of this album speaks to the range of musical styles with artists from Elton John, George Michael and Whitney Houston to Brann Dailor and Phil Anselmo citing it as either their favourite album or a massive influence.
Classic
This album never disappoints
Amazing. I had never listened to whole album from start to finish before, and what a trip. I feel like this is one of those albums that requires multiple listens over time to truly appreciate, but already I see the genius. It’s funky, soulful, beautiful, introspective, socially relevant, and everything in between.
literally so good..... so joyous...... felt absolutely timeless
This album RULES! So inventive, revolutionary, memorable, no skips ever.
I enjoyed all the familiar songs but it took a second listen to enjoy the rest of the album. It really fits together. Not everything works perfectly and some sounds very dated but a masterpiece album.
Better than his first album
Simply one of the best albums of the 20th century
5/5
Great how the material I was not familiar with sounded so fresh and other hits felt wonderfully nostalgic yet the record is generous and wonderful to listen to with head phones.
All time banger!
The first track is unmatched
Masterpiece. There isn’t a bad song on this.
Loves in Need
The one-two of “If It’s Magic” and “As” really gets me
Absolutely adore this album. Reminds me of my mama
Wow. I mean just WOW. Not one bad or uninteresting song on the album. I REALLY loved As and Another Star, both amazing, and of COURSE Sir Duke and I Wish are top on the list. Would be HAPPY to come back to this album over and over again.
brilliant
Not only one of the better albums of all time, but one of the most aptly named albums of all time. Stevie Wonder sings about the human experience, and often the black American experience, with such conviction and joy that even the saddest songs in here are still comforting and uplifting. The first disc of the double album is generational, specifically the run of songs from “Sir Duke” to “Pastime Paradise”. Those songs don’t need to be talked about. But honestly the second disc is no slouch either, it makes it hard to say that this album is too long - which is insane to say out loud about an hour 45 minute long album. The confident proclamations of “Black Man”, the warmth of “As”, the piano groove in “Ebony Eyes”. Not to mention the perfectly-timed introductions of things like an electric guitar in one song, or a harmonica solo in another song; this album plays itself out with perfect pacing. If you told me to hand you an album that best encapsulates the emotions of the overall human experience, I’d likely give you Songs In The Key Of Life. I don’t want to presume toooo much about the demographic of people who get through these 1001 albums, but I’m guessing a large subsect is atheistic white men? So it’s a testament to the strength of this album that
A double album to end stevie wonders imperial phase, yeah it’s pretty cool
An absolute classic. Loved the chance to revisit it. Strangely enough ‘I Wish’ and ‘Sir Duke’ were played today at random…
Impeccable
Incredible. Might convert. Fav songs: Love's In Need Of Love Today, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Black Man, If It's Magic. Saved a song: Y RYM: Y (#27)
Sublime!
My father would be proud of this rating
Nice
Beloved by music forum users everywhere, this album has it all. All 17 (or 21, in the expanded edition) tracks, from front to back, are great or better. And as voted by people on some subreddit somewhere, it's the best feel-good album of all time. In a strange turn of events, the album starts with a the slow, soulful ballad Love's In Need Of Love Today, and continues the relatively mellow mood with Have A Talk With God and Village Ghetto Land. It's interesting to note that Wonder performs nearly every instrument in every track. The energy really ramps up with the wacky instrumental Contusion, featuring a slew of different time signatures, key changes, and weird melodic ideas. But for some people, these sorts of songs don't quite hit the right spot. Hip-hop heads and pop enthusiasts might turn their noses up at the weird sort of home-studio feel of the opening quartet of songs. But that all changes with the one-two punch Sir Duke/I Wish. I Wish is phenomenal. It's one of my favourite songs of all time. (In fact, it's in my very short playlist of "perfect songs".) The lyrics are top-tier rascally storytelling, the bass riff is ridiculously catchy, the horn hits are amazing, and Wonder's singing is at its sassiest. The preceding track is the other hit, Sir Duke, which boasts its own insane bassline and a sort of anthemic chorus ("You can feel it all over..."). And all the instruments playing octaves of a rapid melody just after the climax... nearly as perfect as I Wish. Nearly. Pastime Paradise is a substantially better version of the spinoff Gangsta's Paradise released 19 years later. It features a lot of keyboard-string effects and a bizarre yet enchanting atmosphere. Summer Soft is another big highlight, with one of the absolute peaks of the album being the gradual semitone-modulation and increasing intensity of the repeated chorus in the song's second half. Disc is just as strong. The two main highlights are also the two hits. Isn't She Lovely is just catchy as heck (though I could do without the baby SFX – really holding my hand there with the song's meaning, Stevie). And a lovely sax part too. The penultimate song on the main album, As, is another intensity-building song. And the backing vocal hook, "Until the X / Until the Y" (ad infinitum) under Wonder's repeated "Always". Beautiful, I tell you. There's so much more to say about this record, but it's all been said before. The top-rated review sums it up: "That's what blows me away; despite the hour forty-five runtime, the songs never grow stale, and not a single track doesn't carry its weight (...) 6 out of 5 stars." 5/5 Key tracks: Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, As
Lot of hype surrounding this album. 1 hr 40 is quite long. Enjoyed Contusion. Enjoyed Sir Duke. I Wish is great, too. Isn't she Lovely is a classic as well. There is a lot of variety here. There's also a ton of songs that have been sampled-like Pastime Paradise. This album really does live up to the hype.
01) Love's in Need of Love Today - 8,0 02) Have a Talk with God - 8,5 03) Village Ghetto Land - 8,0 04) Contusion - 8,0 05) Sir Duke - 10,0 06) I Wish - 10,0 07) Knocks Me Off My Feet - 8,5 08) Pastime Paradise - 10,0 09) Summer Soft - 8,5 10) Ordinary Pain - 8,5 11) Isn't She Lovely - 10,0 12) Joy Inside My Tears - 9,0 13) Black Man - 9,0 14) Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing - 8,5 15) If It's Magic - 8,0 16) As - 10,0 17) Another Star - 10,0 TOTAL: 8,97 (90/100) Current ranking: 68/744
Love it. Own it.
Maybe a hot take, but this album is overrated. It's still five stars, don't get me wrong! Just not a top-five album of all time. Innervisions is even better, in my opinion.
Pretty damn good!
It's not perfect but not enough to give less than 5
Kæmpe classic. Det er virkelig flot, føler det er et album som belønner en for at give ens opmærksomhed til hvert eneste sekund af det og selv uden det kan det nydes. Det er et stærkt funk og soul album med nogle gode tracks og jeg forestiller mig helt sikkert det er en af de største nogensinde og har inspireret mange mennesker. Det er sgu bare kæmpe også imponerende det er noget han har udgivet som 26 årig. Der er sgu bare ikke noget som lyder som ham, så det er svært ikke at give det topkarakter synes jeg.
Arguably tpo long but enough top class stuff to justify a double. Ridiculous 18th album
The lyrics veer into sentimentality and it's a bit too long. But musically? The range of emotion and influence, the complexity of the progressions and the arrangements, the strength of the melodic ideas, the precision of the performances, and the quality of the recording are just astonishing. It is among the most extraordinary productions of all time.
Is Songs in the Key of Life one of the greatest albums ever made? Oh definitely. That's why I decided to revisit it today and give this behemoth of an album a much deserved relisten and rating. What is there to be said about this album that hasn't been said before, it manages to tackle a 1hr 46 minute runtime, one that would kill most artists careers, beautifully and in a way that makes you wish there was even more to be desired here. Stevie Wonder somehow created one of the most tight and unbreakable streaks in music. Every section, song, and note is some of the most uplifting music ever created and yet it never gets old. Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest artists and no one can take that away from him, even if he just released this album his name would be known for the rest of time. Songs in the Key of Life will forever be a classic album, and beloved by all.
Top 5 most influential albums ever made
Loved the record, but couldn't pay attention to the lyrics. I think Stevie requires full attention to listen to, so I have to listen again to properly love it. It is a 5 though for sure, maybe a lower one for now
Gun to my head and I can pick 1 album to listen to one more time, this is the album
One of my all time favorite albums
Stevie Wonder is all sorts of absolute magic. Just wonderful stuff from start to finish, and totally didn't know that Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise was lifted from Pastime Paradise as I'd never heard the latter until now! Favourite tracks: Village Ghetto Land, Contusion, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Saturn.
YES. There's not enough stars to rate this album.
love
Yes, please, and thank you…this is one of the 1089 I was waiting on; coming in early at number 50, it’s also my first 5 rating. I think we come here expecting every album to resonate like this, and well that’s why so many of us get disappointed. So, where to begin? A double album of an hour and forty minutes of some of the greatest soul, R&B, funk music ever recorded. Not only is the music amazing, the influence it had on modern pop, R&B and rap speaks for itself (you can hear Mary J Blige, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Ja Rule, Coolio, Will Smith among others who sampled and redid songs from here). The poetic lyrics discuss deep/relevant issues we can all relate to such as youth, growing up, love, parenthood, faith, politics, society; and are at the same time delivered by Stevie Wonder’s warm, smooth tenor voice. This is an instance where major influence meets high-quality art. A classic piece of music that you truly must hear before you die as it may cleanse your soul.
Wow, this is so good and a lot of people have sampled from this.
Stevie Wonder is a visionary. No, really. He has vision. Not blind.
What to say about one of the great double albums of all time? Or maybe just one of the greatest albums of all time, regardless of number of discs? I was thrilled to have this come up today, partially due to it being a fantastic album, but also because I’m visiting my mom and this is one we could absolutely listen to together. What a treat! Back to the question of what to say, I really can’t add much that hasn’t been said already. This is a sprawling but very consistent album with amazing performances and themes. Stevie’s singing is top notch and it’s fantastically produced. And it has timeless songs like Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, and Isn’t She Lovely. What more needs to be said?
I Don’t Have To Listen To This Again To Give It A 10
Lo de Stevie Wonder en los 70 fue algo único e irrepetible. Este es su disco más reconocido, pero cualquiera desde Music of my mind hasta este son prácticamente intercambiables en calidad e importancia. Aquí la idea era hacer un triple álbum pero no era técnicamente posible así que se vendió como doble con un EP de regalo (A Something's Extra Bonus). Ya era el rey del mundo, con un contrato que le dió libertad absoluta como artista. Un negro dominando a la industria a su antojo y además siendo reconocido como el mejor por la academia, que le había concedido varios grammys al mejor álbum en sus discos anteriores. A nivel de ventas el asunto era el mismo: este disco fue el primero en llegar a la cima en su primera semana de publicación. Un artista comprometido, vanguardista (pionero en los sintetizadores ya demás con absoluta maestría) y de un nivel superlativo. Solamente queda disfrutar del genio. La nómina de colaboradores es inmensa: Hancock, Benson, Ripperton, Sembello... Los temas más conocidos son lógicamente Sir Duke, I wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, As, Another Star o Knocks Me Off My Feet pero en realidad cualquiera es magistral, por ejemplo Joy Inside My Tears.
I mean it IS long. and side two isn't quite as good as side one. but good god Stevie does NOT miss. Banger after Banger Best songs: idk man, all of them (sir duke is pretty good though)
Brilliant
5/5 such a joy to listen to, not every song is a banger, but most were incredibly groovy and has such good instrumentation.
5/5, not every song was a banger but it was very consistently groovy as a baseline with a lot of giga bangers
Great album! Love Stevie
A masterpiece. So many great songs and so much variety.
Une conclusion s'impose à la fin de l’écoute de l’album : impossible de catégoriser Stevie Wonder. In the Key of Life parce que la vie c'est tellement de choses, c'est ça? Du talent brut et raffiné. Un artiste en état de grâce.
Yeah. I mean this album is iconic for a reason. It is so good. All the songs are interesting, great musicality, and obviously Stevie Wonder is a great singer. This album has the ICONIC songs! Liked Songs: "Love's In Need Of Love Today" , "Village Ghetto Land" , "Contusion" , "Sir Duke" , "I Wish" , "Knocks Me Off My Feet" , "Pastime Paradise" , "Summer Soft" , "Isn't She Lovely" , "Black Man" , "If It's Magic" , "Another Star" , "Saturn" , "Ebony Eyes"
Absolutely fantastic album, so feel-good and well composed and well written, basically no critiques aside from some small repetition I was a little miffed about here and there. I've not heard all that much music yet, but I feel comfortable calling this an album of humanity