Songs In The Key Of Life

Great album

9.7/10

Very experimental for the time.

Listened to one song. I need a job where I can listen to the whole album every day!

It’s just music that makes you feel good, you know? I will say, 1 hour 45 minutes is toooooo long, so I’m taking away half a star. But I’m giving it right back because I just happened to check Wikipedia while listening to Isn’t She Lovely and learned that it was written about his first born, which made me tear up because my first born went away to college last week and I love him so much and I’m so sad and excited for him at the same time.

Great top to bottom. A lot of this is very famous, either in original form or samples, but still sounds fresh.

I didn’t like it at all.

It might be a 4 for me but I cannot give it anything less than a 5. Perfect album.

Not for me. I like Stevie. Great singles. Terrible albums.

Little Stevie Wonder, one of the best Motown ever featured. I love the Motown sound, I love Stevie Wonder and this was arguably the finest album he ever created.

I can't deny Stevie Wonder's an extremely talented musician, but I've just never been able to get into him.

Well, it's certainly the best 18th album of all time, right? Stevie Wonder is someone I've had mixed feelings about, but other than it being long, and having some duds that fell in the middle, it's a great album. It versatile in genres, and style; you never know what you're going to get(what do you mean that wasn't Coolio's idea?). The closing track gives me "Animal Crossing" vibes, and overall, it's such a a pleasant album to listen to. Favorite Track: "Pastime Paradise".

Good morn' or evenin', friends. Here's your friendly announcer. I have serious news to pass on to everybody... This is the greatest album ever made. I mean, honestly. Is that not just a fact of life? I mean, can **you** think of a single album that's better than this one? Completely and thoroughly? I don't think so. And believe me, I'm the kind of person who wouldn't just unilaterally declare something like that. Besides the fact that there's no accounting for taste, I mean, no album's perfect. There's always little factors about them that would cause even the best candidates to rock-paper-scissor each other and cancel themselves out. Y'know what I mean? You could round debate about them forever, but there'd always be something that'd keep you from coming to a single satisfying conclusion. Except for SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE. I can't think of another album that is so singularly beautiful and perfect that whatever minor flaws it may have just plain don't matter. One that, no matter how many times I hear it, I'm just in awe of it. Its scope, its grandeur, the individual strength of every song, and how they all coalesce into a single product... It would be hard, near impossible for anyone to do — and yet Stevie Wonder did it as his **eighteenth album**. And it's not like this album just came out of the blue. This is the final album in a quintology: his Classic Period. This is a series of albums that includes the likes of MUSIC OF MY MIND, TALKING BOOK, INNEVISIONS and FULLFILLINGESS' FIRST FINALE. None of these albums are to be trifled with; they are all very strong contenders for his best album, in their own rights. I mean, come on, take a song from each: MUSIC OF MY MIND has "Superman"; TALKING BOOK, "Superstitions"; INNERVISIONS, "Living In The City"; and FULFILLINGESS' FIRST FINALE, "They Won't Go When I Go". That's damn stacked. You wouldn't think there'd be a way to compete with that; that, by this point — by **this point** in his career — Stevie would be out of tricks. Well, not only is he not out of tricks, he has enough to spread across **two discs**. Hell, **three**, actually. He had so many songs just laying around that there had to be a bonus 7" EP included just to contain them all — and they're literally just "A SOMETHING EXTRA!" And I've said before, in other reviews: double albums are a risk. If you are not at the absolute top of your game, they can come across as exercises in absolute ego. And even with the best double albums, like The White Album or even SIGN "O" THE TIMES, you could make reasonable arguments for them being cut down. Not here, though. You couldn't cut a single song from this album and still have it work. Not even "Ordinary Pain", the one song on here I'd've said at some point in the past I liked the least. (And of course, being the least liked song on SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE is still something a half.) This is Stevie working at the absolute peak of his power. He expends so much of it here, and so hard, that nothing he could do afterwards could even match. Not that I think he ever tried to, anyway — I mean, **I** make a SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE, I'm not gonna embarrass myself by trying **again**. I'm not stupid. Even if the rest of my career is "Jungle Fever" and "I Just Called To Say I Love You", I've still got this masterwork of masterworks under my belt. Now, this deep in, you've gotta be thinking I'm being a little hyperbolic here. Like, maybe a **little** overly rapturous? I mean, come on, even if this album really is just **that good**, I shouldn't be suckin' it off nearly as hard as I am, right? And, hey, if I am being a little over the top in my praise here — sure, fine. That's fair. But I am not being dishonest. I am not lying when I say I truly, honestly think that SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE is the greatest album ever made. Believe me, it has stiff competition. The Beatles' ABBEY ROAD. Pink Floyd's WISH YOU WERE HERE. The Beach Boys' PET SOUNDS. Prince's PURPLE RAIN. Michael Jackson's OFF THE WALL. Daft Punk's RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES. Weird Al's ALPOCALYPSE — I could go on. But none of them, not even for a second, compare to the honest magic I still feel whenever I listen to this album. I mean, "**if** it's magic?" You're damn sure it is. And at this point in the review, I'm not even 100% sure on any specifics I wanna bring up to try and back my point. And not because I can't think of any, no: more, where do I **start**? This is not an album that's shy on good moments, given how much it's been sampled in hip hop. And, sure, one of those songs was "Wild Wild West", but "I Wish" is undeniable, no matter how you slice it. (Also, I honestly kinda love "Wild Wild West" for how goofy it is, so...) Like... This album starts like I'm getting a radio broadcast sent directly from Heaven. "Love's In Need Of Love Today" — what an opener. One of my absolute favorites off the bat. It **starts like this**. That's how this album **begins**. And it never, ever dips too far below this point. Like, come on, "Have A Talk With God"? "Village Ghetto Land"? "Contusion"? "Sir Duke"? "I Wish"? I mean, I gotta stop myself from naming every song on the album, but I very well could; they're all just that good. Stevie is just a wonder (hah) of a multi-instrumentalist. Every instrument he touches on this album, he stuns on, and every vocal he lays down is amazing. But of course, his keyboard playing is second to none. Magic from those fingertips, honest to goodness. I mean, goodness, those synthesized strings he lays down on "Village Ghetto Land"? They're synthesized, sure, but damn if they're not beautiful in spite of the song's subject matter. And his harmonica playing, oh. It's what got him famous in the first place, and it's no surprise he's still A1 as heck honking on the thing. Just listen to how it wails on "Isn't She Lovely", or how plain calming it is on "Easy Goin' Evening". And this isn't to ignore the absolute cavalcade of other musicians playing on this thing. They still had to pull their own weight, and pull they did. Y'know Michael Sembello, the guy who did "Maniac" for FOOTLOOSE? He played guitar on this album. Herbie Hancock's on here, too, providing his own key stylings. Minnie Ripperton's one of many vocalists who contribute to the "OR-DAH-NARY PAIN" refrain on the song of the same name. And all the horn players, who were able to pull off something like "Sir Duke"? Give 'em a hand. Give 'em a dang ol' hand. And I could keep going with the praise. "Isn't She Lovely" is indeed lovely as hell. "Summer Soft" lives up to its own name. "Pasttime Paradise" sounds wonderfully mysterious and introspective (no wonder Coolio sought to sample it). "Contusion" is an electric instrumental. "Sir Duke" is just a joy. "I Wish" is groovy as all get out. "Anothern Star" is as dramatic a closer as you'd want. All the songs on the A SOMETHING EXTRA just should not be ignored, particularly "Easy Goin' Evening" and "Saturn". And did I mention how gorgeous "Village Ghetto Land" is already — and I know I did, but seriously, it very much is. And "As" is... Just such a truly incredible song. It fights **damn hard** to be the best on the entire album, and Stevie could've titled it something like "Always" or "Until The Day" for commercial appeal, but dang it, he's such a force on this album that he can name it after the first word on the song and, by goodness, he **gets away with it**. You probably well get by this point how great the album is, though. It's truly something to consider that we almost didn't get this album. For real: in 1975, he honestly considered quitting music so he could emigrate to Ghana to help disabled children. A farewell concert to bring the curtain down on his career was being planned and everything. Imagine: Stevie stopping just short before making the single most defining album his career. I don't wanna say that helping children in Ghana would've been a "lesser" option, but could you imagine a world without this album? Heck, a world **deprived** of this album? I can't. Luckily, Stevie changed his mind, and then took so long to make this album that Motown's marketing division was able to take advantage of the delay by makin' shirts with "We're almost finished" on 'em. Is there another album where you could honestly sell shirts that pretty much say "Hey, the damn thing's comin' soon; shut the hell up?" You probably know my answer. And in a review where I've positioned that I might be speaking hyperbolically, and acknowledged that I might be taking my praise over the top, what I'm about to say could be pushing the limits — but heck, if you've read this far, why not, eh? Truthfully, if there's a higher power in the universe, I do believe that they're partly responsible for this music. Not that this is "their music"; these songs are all the results of Stevie's gifts and his collaborators, nothing less. But more just... Well, Stevie probably made up his own mind to make the best of his career and keep going. I'm jus' sayin', I personally wouldn't discount that something up there, out there, knew what a worse place this world would be without this album, and helped give Stevie a nudge. I could keep going. Not only is this only the second 2k word review I've ever written, but it's beaten the one I did for SGT. PEPPER'S by seven words. It's just crazy to me that I've managed to pull out that much to say. In the end, though, no matter how much I babble on, I could never truly express how truly incredible this album is. I could speak until the day becomes the day that is no more and I'd never really come close. And believe me, you just saw me make a **very** good attempt to try and get there. It's just that amazing of a record. I mean, heck, I wouldn't even really say this is an album: it's more like an experience unto itself. I've never stopped being in awe of it, no matter how many times I spin it. I couldn't even begin to imagine how anyone could truly, completely dislike it. And believe me, I've tried to get it. I've sampled some of the reviews on this album: it's a long album, it's a long album, it's a long alb— yeah, most of the negative reviews I came across really harped on the fact that this album was 104 minutes long when you include the A SOMETHING EXTRA EP. And, y'know, that's fair. I've ragged on plenty of albums for their length before, mostly from the 90's when CD bloat was a thing. And beyond that, maybe this album's sound just plain didn't click with them — also fair. I can't tell you I always loved every part of this album. As I said above, until recently I would openly say that "Ordinary Pain" was my least favorite half, and all because I couldn't jive with the second half. So it's not like I haven't tried to find the faults in this album. They do exist, and I can completely understand how, for some people, it would keep them liking the thing, let alone thinking it's one of the greatest albums of all time. But personally... Well, until the day that 8 times 8 times 8 is 4 — until the day the oceans cover the mountains high — until dear Mother Nature says her work is through — until the day that is the day there is no more, I'll always be loving this album. Thank you, Stevie. Truly.

What a fucking album. Would give 6 stars if it were available.

It’s the greatest album of all time. I knew it was going into it, and even with the last 597 albums I’ve listened to occasionally leaving me mesmerized beyond belief, it only took one more listen of this piece of art to remember that it is, indeed, the greatest album of all time. The first time I heard this album in full was around 2013. My musical journey, in many ways, begins around that year. Sure, I’d heard music all my life, but I wanted to really, truly dive into it and finally figure out what my tastes were really aligned towards. I did that the way any absolute moron would at the age of 13: I made a Pandora account and let the radio station play, liking whatever I liked and disliking whatever I didn’t. I let the algorithm send me along, even back then. Obviously, that strategy’s a little loose, but I’d honestly recommend it; I think it’s much easier for a younger brain to digest individual tracks for a while, to let the seeds plant in and really figure out what constitutes “good” music to them. I figured out that I really liked pop music, but along the way, a lot of 70s & 80s stuff popped up. Obviously, this “Stevie Wonder” guy showed up eventually, and while I knew him by name as that blind guy who makes music, I think the chemicals in my brain fundamentally changed the second I heard “Sir Duke” for the first time. “Sir Duke” is a perfect pop song. No ifs, ands or buts about it – if you want to study any singular track in history to figure out pop structure, you have to listen to “Sir Duke”. I’m fairly certain that was the catalyst for me to sit down and listen to “Songs in the Key of Life” for the first time, but not before getting through the vast discography of this other guy called Michael Jackson, of whom we happened to get “Off the Wall” from just yesterday. Unbelievable back to back pulls. Whenever I got around to “Just Good Friends” off of Bad, I figured I was in for a real treat by the time I’d loop around to Stevie. So, after looping around, I chose to go straight into this one. Gotta tell you; maybe not the greatest move to have your first Stevie Wonder album be this one. I felt overwhelmed back then by the size & scope of it, and with my brain much more attuned to poppier stuff, I remember really getting into the first side of the album, but just feeling drained by the second half, since it all just felt so long. Michael’s stuff is usually snappy, constantly hitting you musically, and while this album occasionally did that, its artistry was lost on me, due to a general lack of just worldly experience & a brain not ready for it. I still liked a lot of the album, but I don’t think I truly got it. Fast forward to… I want to say 2017 – I’m not sure exactly why I wanted to listen to the album again, but with a LOT more experience with music (especially with more of Stevie’s singles prior to this album) & a bit more worldly experience to pull from, I fucking got it. Everything about the first side of the album clicked in full, from an instrumental, vocal & lyrical standpoint, and I felt HOOKED to it. And yet, for whatever reason, a lot of the second side still didn’t click with me as easily. I’ve checked my playlist on this; the only songs I had from the second side were “Isn’t She Lovely”, “As”, & “Saturn”, with “Another Star” not getting added until *2023*, BY ITSELF, without the rest of the second half in tow. I’m guessing I heard it from Spotify’s radio feature and added it to a playlist, but I can’t believe I left so much of the second side untouched until now. What the hell was wrong with me, man? So, that brings us here. August 20th, 2025, with 597 albums done in this project, a UNIVERSE of musical influence brought into my stratosphere that’s expanded my tastes to the fullest point they’ve ever been, and another crack at an album that I had already proclaimed, on several occasions, to be the greatest album of all time from the greatest recording artist of all time. I made a post on social media years ago saying it’s an album that needed to be taught in schools. I stand by that, by the way. Trust me, I got through the first half the same as I always did, with a newfound appreciation for the second half of “Ordinary Pain”, which I had always been a little bit iffy on, and “Isn’t She Lovely” was as lovely as it’s always been. I have no earthly idea how I managed to ever bounce off of the stretch from “Joy Inside My Tears” to “If It’s Magic”. Sure, you could call it a little long, but I got deeply lost in the rhythm of “Joy Inside My Tears” in a way that felt like listening to “Hot Buttered Soul”. “Black Man” feels so culturally relevant with the 250th coming up, and with so much more history in my brain, the references finally clicked on this track, making the whole thing feel so much more fulfilling. Because of all the worldly albums we’ve been getting, the samba grooves of “Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing” felt far more grand to me than before. “If It’s Magic” has such lovely lyrics & one of the prettiest harps I’ve ever heard, and the way it thematically links to “As” is something I’ve never appreciated until this listen. I finally appreciate “Another Star” within the context of the album, and how it just blasts that fucking Latin disco groove for its final 4 minutes in a way that feels utterly infectious… ugh. What a bow on the album, if you choose to end it there. However, I do think this album would be incomplete without the “A Something’s Extra” part. I fucking adore “Saturn” – one of my favorite Stevie Wonder tracks of all time, and arguably more relevant than ever. I had entirely forgotten about the next two tracks though. “Ebony Eyes” is groovy as hell, with a lot of Beatles-y DNA, and it feels like a leftover Innervisions-era cut because of the talkbox being used. “All Day Sucker” is a really good track; it feels like one of Stevie’s ‘80s tracks (specifically the style he would take by “In Square Circle”), due to the bass & synth work. Ironically, a lot of the DNA of that track feels like it was used for “Just Good Friends”, so maybe Michael REALLY liked that one. I did remember the overall harmonica-driven lo-fi tone of “Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)”, but hearing it as the true album closer here… man, it just evoked a whole world of imagery to my brain that my 13-year-old self would’ve never once come up with. It is a perfect way to end an album titled “Songs in the Key of Life”. Life is tiring & exhausting, as Stevie’s been singing about the whole time. Sometimes, you really appreciate it in the moments where you can just sit there and soak it all in. That’s what the track is trying to represent, and it clicked beautifully this time. So, yes, my 12-year odyssey with this album finally feels complete, and I can indeed confirm it’s the greatest album of all time. I can’t possibly put a number to it; obviously, it’s a 5 for the site, but in terms of a rating… you can’t rate this. You can only sit back, listen, and get lost in it. I still think it can be taught in schools, the same way we teach books, and if we all took the lessons of this album to heart, we’d be living in the utopia that Stevie seemed so hopeful we could achieve at the age of 26. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention: he was *26* here. He wrote the greatest album of all time, as a culmination to an already incredible stretch of albums that could singularly define anyone’s career by themselves, at the age of *26*. Unbelievable. Even with his output slowing down by the ‘90s, I really think there’s a case to be made for Stevie Wonder to be the GOAT. It’s been 20 years since his last album, and while he’s still performing, I feel like he can give us at least one more album. We need his insight now more than ever. As far as this goes, we are coming up on the 50th anniversary of this album next year, and I can only hope it receives a rose parade’s worth of flowers when the time calls for it. It’s a masterpiece, and to my ears, the pinnacle of an entire art form. I cannot wait for our next album to be just the worst thing ever. Or, hell, I dunno, maybe we’ll get Thriller & I can write another essay’s worth of words.

Incredible.

Such a great record. It doesn’t have the punch of Talking Book or Fulfillingness before it but has a wider cinematic scope and precise personal execution to it. I could get by without ever hearing “Isn’t She Lovely” again - it’s hard to express how omnipresent Stevie Wonder’s more saccharine hits were in a gen X upbringing - but it the one I tend to return to the most.

As a double LP recorded after he opted against retiring from making music and signed a fat new deal with Motown Records, this feels like a pure flex by Stevie Wonder. It’s a kaleidoscopic, sprawling, nearly overwhelming melange of soul, R&B, funk, tropicalia, proto-electro and Afrofuturism. “Contusion” even brings some jazz fusion to the mix.

It is so rare that you get a minor-chord jam with a hook as good as "As" has!

Only the Beatles' run through the 1960s is as impressive as what Stevie managed to accomplish in the 70s. This isn't even my favorite album from this period of his and it's still, basically, perfect.

Knew the singles, did not expect a double Lp. Even the less good songs are not worth skipping.

Not just an LP. But a double LP. And not just a double LP. But a double LP + 7". Kind of nuts to pull that off. But he did. And somehow made a song with a crying baby in it heartwarming rather than annoying.

I had the pleasure of listening to 2 Stevie Wonder albums in a row - Innervisions was great, and this was even better! Every track is classic after classic. 4.5/5 rounded up to 5/5

Stevie Wonder is definitely one of the top 10 artists of all time. At times I wondered if this album might be too long, but I would have no idea what could possibly be cut.

It’s Stevie Wonder. You know what you’re getting. To me, it’s middle of the road entertainment. I don’t think anyone will hate this.

His best album some of my faves Stevie songs.

Had to skip 'Isn't She Lovely' but otherwise an album full of joyful bangers

Nice

Easy 5

A joy to listen to. All be it, a long a joy. 4.5⭐️

Fantastic mix of r&b, soul, jazz, even some progressive rock(?) Quite an impressive album. Didn't feel like 103 minutes and would gladly spin again and again.

A 5 star famous album. I had skipped around this to the more popular tracks that I had heard before.

Not a perfect album, even the non-hits were hitting me just right. There's some ridiculously good funk on that album. 4 stars.

Some classic tracks on this album, and some great ones I've never heard. "Sir Duke", "Isn't She Lovely", "I Wish" being so major for Stevie and "Pastime Paradise" being pivotal for Coolio. It's an enjoyable album.

No me gusta mi automático recuerdo del pendular man. Pero admito que sus producciones son exquisitas en el reto instrumental y compositivo

Some slow jams in here for sure. Sir Duke and I Wish pick up the tempo. Pastime Paradise led to the great Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio and Amish Paradise by Weird Al. Isn’t She Lovely is a really sweet song about his daughter. I like the whole sound of the double album but the lyrical portion is over in the middle of the song. After that it’s just instrumental jams, which isn’t terrible from someone named Stevie Wonder. It does get a bit long though.

Already know this is on my favorites of all time list.

Undeniably a great and classic album from one of the best to ever do it. It's influence and imprint on society is huge. That being said, it's also a bit long and bloated. Not my favorite even though it's likely his best.

I fully understand why so many people recommend this album. It’s has joyous and groovy melodies but also some serious lyrics about the problems of the world Highlights: - Sir Duke - Isn’t She Lovely - I Wish

You can feel the passion and thoughtfulness that was put into the album. It’s truly a labor of love and I have nothing bad to say. Sure, it’s a long album, but most of us were just gonna scroll on reddit most of the evening anyways.

Zbyt dużo "drazniacych" fragmentów, niektóre partie są przeciągnięte, czasem brzmi jak muzyka grana w windzie.

Wow! Tight production, tight playing. All the themes we expect from Stevie in Love, Religion, and the lived Black experience. It's just so damn good. This record was made for headphones. I will be coming back to this one often.

wow Pastime Paradise. No idea Gangsta's Paradise had direct inspiration from this song. Overall this album is incredibly soulful and funky. The lyrics are powerful and significant, but at times hidden behind music that feels upbeat and positive. It's a very interesting juxtaposition. Not to mention the obvious hits Sir Duke, I Wish, Isn't She Lovely; Pasttime Paradise and Village Ghetto Land were very interesting songs that made me stop and reflect for a bit. Disc 2 was a bit exhausting and difficult to get through. With the exception of Isn't She Lovely, I just got tired of it. There were so many parts where there was some dialogue or dramatic scenes in Black Man and Isn't She Lovely specifically that seemed so out of place and distorted that it was difficult to enjoy the song and in Black Man specifically, lost meaning. I understand the point of Black Man is to shine light on the achievements of people of color throughout history, but the part with the teachers and children regurgitating facts was more annoying than powerful since you couldn't really hear what they were saying other than the......color of the skin of the person they were shouting about. Is it about the accomplishment, the person, or are we just reducing them to the color of their skin? I think we could think of a better way to highlight the achievements of black or indigenous individuals in the past. Overall, If we put Isn't She Lovely on Disc 1 and just removed Disc 2......it would be a better experience.

Brilliant 👏

Stevie Wonders genius isbon show, but I really didnt enjoy this album.

Too good

Love this album. Idk that I'd call it a personal favorite, but it's objectively a masterpiece. This album is sonic perfection.

Once an album gets over an hour it generally wars out its welcome. So this ridicuously long 1 hour 45 minute album should start getting annoying, right? Every one of these tracks are not just "not bad", not just "ok", all of them are very good. Half or more are great. Stevie Wonder is a genius.

Not a fan

But how can he hear the music if he's blind...?

This is probably the first 4 I'm giving to an album I'm unlikely to listen to again. It's not for me, but the music was just undeniable.

7/10 Massive amount of hits in one album. 8-11-2025

So good, jazz vives

Great!

Great work

After the first couple of songs (the string quartet!?! and the moody jazz tune) I was fearing that I would be really put off by the record. It got much better but I still think this was too long and the songs didn’t really hit me like they do in Talking Book. I love “Isn’t she Lovely” but I could do without songs like Black Man. Overall pretty good

Amazing from the first track. Tracks to Track: Love's In Need Of Love Today etc (too many to list xD)

If you hate this album, you're insane.

Vrhunski album, uvijek ga je gušt slušati. Rijetko što mi može biti ispod 4 njegovo, pa je tako i ovaj put. 4/5, 8/10

Listen again.

This record showcases Wonder's outstanding ability as a musician and songwriter, he can practically do any genre and idea, and here he just does it all pretty much flawlessly. Even though it's a pretty long album, it's just packed with excellent tracks so there aren't really any low points. Wonder's compositions are magnificent, he delivers outstanding vocals to bring them to life, and his involvement in the project makes it a cohesive project, with a clear sound and vision for it. There are absolute classics here, like "Sir Duke", "Isn't She Lovely" and "Pastime Paradise", which are masterpieces. But other lesser known tracks are as good, maybe even better. My favourites were "Knocks Me Off My Feet", "Ordinary Pain", "Another Star" and "Black Man". This album is just a masterpiece. It's Stevie Wonder showing he can do it all, and do it really well, and it works.

Highlights: Sir Duke, Love’s In Need of Love Today, I Wish, As. In a nutshell: a culmination of greatness. I am generally adverse to double albums, because they’re fraught with filler. Stevie and the band start strong, get wobbly on Side B and Side C and finish strong on Side D with "As" and "Another Star". A lot of jamming to fill out the side length... But that is the only criticism I have. SITKOL is a legacy album and its influence spreads far and wide. Overall: 7/10

I like Stevie Wonder. This is a great album with a real exploration of rhythms and lyrics.

Kiva oli

Cover 6 Love Stevie Wonder's voice. This album took me several listens to get into. Initially I just thought it was not for me. But the problem with music is, depending on my mood, an album can either be 3 stars or 4 stars, even 5. So my opinion for any album should only be considered with a grain of salt. One of his best albums despite not havung many radio friendly hits.

Me ha encantado, más alrgo de lo que esperaba, y me han gustado bastantes del total. largo con facil reescucha.

Very good! Sonically not consistent but every song was interesting and fun to listen to.

Just not my style of music

no

é o goat né não tem jeito não tem uma desse que eu curta p caralho + ordinary pain é uma das melhores coisas já feitas parabéns aos envolvidos...

é o DÉCIMO OITAVO album do mano. pqp imagine vc lançar uma pedrada dessas no décimo oitavo album vsffffffff!! não só isso, mas a sequencia dos albuns dos anos 70 do mano são todos brilhantes. esse aqui eh o perfeitinho, redondinho, no ponto, pra ninguem botar defeito memo, ce ta maluco. lindíssimo, escutarei mais vezes!

Difficult not to enjoy this funky, soulful, progressive record with masterful musicianship and songwriting (at least aspects of). It’s simply a pleasure to listen to. The songs are fun and groovy or emotional and heartfelt. The whole album is strong with only occasional moments where I get a bit less interested, which is still impressive given the long runtime (the 3 song run of Contusion - Sir Duke - I Wish is next level). Can’t really criticize any musical or technical aspects - it feels great, it sounds great. The bass and synths alone are enough to keep me listening. Overall it’s an album that I like and admire very much, but just not an all-time favorite that I go back to at any time. Certainly a massive achievement and no argument from when that it’s highly discussed as one of the best of all time, and its given me a greater appreciate for Stevie Wonder.

Love the music. Could do without his vocals

Superbly arranged, performed and sung, Stevie Wonder gives a lesson in how to create a double album that sounds effortlessly brilliant. Sure he veers into MOR, but there's some cool experimenting as well; Pastime Paradise fuses Latin rhythms with strings, synths and gospel backing vocals while Summer Soft has a breezy cocktail jazz vibe. Not content with a double record, he even slipped in an EP featuring Ebony Eyes. Total legend, still sounding great in 2025

Absolute perfection, this is Stevie at his most powerful, political, soulful, funky, fun, experimental. This album influnces everything from the Peppers to Dre to Coolio to name but a tiny few. This album shows us the resplendance of the human soul in music. What a ledge what a hero, we are not worthy. 7 stars

Awesome

Veers occasionally into the smooshy, but it is a very strong, funky, smooth, charming and unique album.

Such an incredible album! I find some of the ballady ones get a bit long and self-indulgent, but the more funky tracks are superb. Sir Duke, yes siree!

His eighteenth album. Wow, this is a one hour and forty four minute long double album. His eighteenth ! By this stage you'd think that he'd be running out of ideas or just phone it in. Nope. Magnified vocals, production and delivery. Isn't She Lovely is a beautiful song. Sir Duke is another good one. The album is an epic, sprawling mess of genius song writing and musicianship. It's fucking long though.

not enough stars available

načelno jako dobar album s dosta dobrih stvari. nije za mene u svakom slučaju. al malo je predug i neke su stvari slabije, mislim da je mogao biti još bolji da je nešto kraći

Great album… I’ve always loved Stevie Winder growing up. Had no idea that pastime paradise was a thing though!

Amazing album.

Classic masterpiece, a must hear for any music fan.

Deserves the accolades. An enjoyable listen and incredibly influential on future artists.

4 - great album but had to much bloat

One of the greatest albums ever made. Stevie wonder is a genius

Stevie at his apex. It does not get much better than this. His voice….the instruments….the music…..the melodies….the messages….it’s a masterpiece.

I did not use a private spotify session for this one. I love a lot of Stevie's songs, have my own best of for him and that playlist has several songs from this one.

Ruined by religion and far too long. 2.5

This one is a mixed bag for me. Some of the tracks feel very modern and the influence on RnB artists and boy bands is very very clear, but then it seems like in his vision to get out another album, it wasn’t curated very well. It jumps around to disco/funk and back again and honestly felt a bit long. I question whether this could’ve been a single LP with a much tighter construction. Some tracks deal with civil rights and they’re some of the better tracks and I wonder whether a bigger exploration would’ve made them stand out more rather than feeling out of place. I enjoy Stevie Wonder, I enjoyed some of this album, I didn’t enjoy 1hr 45 minutes of it. It’s a 2.5 and I’ll round it up because it’s clear it’s influence and status within the music industry but I’m not sure I’ll be back for more.

I have talked about and listened to this amazing musical work for years and to put it bluntly if I could only take five albums with me to hear for the rest of my life, this would be my first pick. It reverberates from beginning to end and will last through the ages.

A rare "long" album that doesn't overstay it's welcome. Incredible how many classic songs one album can have. Stevie is truly one of the greatest musical minds to ever do it. 5/5

How much I love Stevie Wonder! I am glad for the reminder. So good.

Classic that only gets better with time

Funky and smooth

He is the sunshine of my life

Objectively good, not really my thing compared to other jazz/funk type stuff

I knew more of this than I thought. 'Sir Duke', 'As', and of course the sickly, insipid 'Isn't She Lovely'. He's obviously hugely talented but most of his stuff does nothing for me. The funky stuff is ok, his ballads are generally horrible! Too many tracks are too long. The reissue on Spotify is way too long. I usually find and listen to the original track listing but I really couldn't be bothered so skipped a bit. Life's too short!

Masterful. Pulls you into a world of groove. It’s amazing how many songs have sampled and nicked bits of this - this feels like tapping into the source. For its length there doesn’t feel like much filler, but it is too long even without the bonus EP. For that reason it loses a star, but a very strong four. Stand out tracks: Contusion, Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely

Only thing that hurt this was the length. Could have been a little tighter but I won't be too upset at getting to listen to all this good music. My first real listening of Stevie Wonder. I had heard most of his hits but never at length. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Definitely added more than a couple of the songs to my hits playlist.

Lots of great stuff on here, but a few skippable songs for sure.

Rating: 9/10 Review: I went in with 0 expectation, and this was amazing. It was like discovering the source of so many catchy riffs and melodies from several different songs. And considering this is the 18th album?? That's nuts. It seems like every song experimented with a new sound, instrument, or concept that continuously had me curious as to what was coming next. This was awesome. Great album. I see why he gets as much praise as he does. Notable Songs: Have a Talk with God, Contusion, Isn't She Lovely, Black Man, Ebony Eyes, and Easy Going Evening

This album felt like stepping into an entire world. Each track brings something new, yet it all hangs together with Stevie’s unmistakable voice and feeling. His talent is undeniable. This is the kind of album you live with. A soulful journey I’ll definitely revisit.

This album is such an achievement. There’s loads of stand-out songs on here, but the rest of them are consistently good as well. He has such a lovely voice, but musically there’s tons of creativity and variety across the board. To create a double album of such consistent quality and variety is seriously impressive.

20 years ago, Songs in the Key of Life sparked for me a lifelong journey and fascination with music. To this day, every musical discovery or decision I’ve made can be traced back to my love of this masterpiece. And every piece I do love has this album and its master composer/arranger/producer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist to thank. This album changed my life hearing it with my dad in the car for the first handful of times when I was 10 years old. Even if I didn’t have the words or terminology to fully describe my fascination with it at the time, this album’s detailed arrangements and dexterous genre-bending floored me. To this day as a musician of over 15 years it baffles me for even more reasons than I can count. Each listen brings with it something new, pure, and beautiful. Seeing and hearing Stevie himself perform this album in its entirety with my dad (Detroit, 2014) is a night I look back on as legitimately spiritual. I loved music all my life and grew up in a house where everybody else did too. But never before had an artist and their music captured my attention for something beyond a catchy chorus or a radio-ready beat. With Key of Life, Stevie gave me a nearly 2 hour masterclass of nearly every established genre at the time. It was like observing paintings in a museum from different corners of the planet all meshing seamlessly to form a gallery or exhibit with a message that goes far beyond anymore words I could possibly blather out. Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder is my favorite album of all time. Loquacious, eloquent, sprawling, heart-filling, life-affirming excellence. Every last second of it. “So *this* is music?”, my 10-year-old-self questioned internally. “Yes this is”, my 30-year-old-self assured him. 10+/10

While I knew that Stevie was one of the greats, I've never taken the time to sit down and listen to a full album. I was a little annoyed that it was an hour and 44 minutes, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't believe how many songs I recognized! His voice is incredible and every song was beautifully crafted and rich and just a lovely listen. This is why I do this project - so I can visit albums that I've never taken the time to visit and hopefully finding gems in things I've overlooked. This was wonderful.

4.5 :)

The greatest.

Almost from beginning to end this is magnificent. Joyful, fun, introspective. Stevie at his absolute peak. Knocks me off my feet is timeless, summer soft is stevie in another key but still imperious. Ordinary pain articulates a break up better than most, you genuinely feel sympathy for stevie! Isn't she lovely is a song for all fathers of baby daughters. The song As is a staple for wedding songs. Another star is the ultimate party song. There are so many peaks that the minor bits of dribble that is on the beginning and end of the album can be forgiven. One of the best albums ever made.

My man can't see a thing but still kills it on every track.

Love a bit of Stevie. I think my favourite of his albums - as a bassist sir duke is by default one of my fave bops ever

I thought I would like this album but no not really. I really did try to get into it, but I just couldn't. Perhaps I was thinking majority of the songs would have a strong groove; which most didn't have. Anyways I do respect the album a lot though.

Never heard this before, but did recognize several songs. A classic.

almost a masterpiece cause some songs are filler, but so many faves

my favorite album ever

Very long album, also reminiscent of the songs length too (feel like all couldve been shortened by about 1 minute or so). Mixed bag of songs on here, some i wanted to turn off quickly others I really liked.

The big one. The poster-album-child of the Bachtivision movement ever since day 1. Often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. The kind of album that is so sprawling that it's impossible to contain it in a review, the kind of album that you notice some new stroke of genius every single time. Last time it was the genius of the instrumental "Contusion". The time before that it was the utopian vision of "Saturn" where people live in orange snow until they're two hundred and five. There are so many grand ideas, little flourishes, and shifting musical styles on this double album - and couple that with the fact that I'm a relatively new listener to Stevie Wonder - that I am still processing much of what's on here. Not to mention just how many incredibly successful songs and artists have sampled or straight lifted entire portions of these songs - Coolio took "Pastime Paradise" wholesale; as did Will Smith with "I Wish", and when I first heard Wonder's version of "As" all I could think of was how George Michael sang it note for note. The sprawling, eclectic, experimental nature of the album isn't without issues (though I am sure people will argue that's what makes it great): Should "Ordinary Pain" REALLY be 2 different songs in one? Unlikely. Would I prefer to listen to "Isn't She Lovely" without the baby crying parts? Probably, but that also might be missing the point. Does the album feel incohesive due to the sheer amount of STUFF going on and mix of styles? Certainly. Will I keep listening to this when I'm two hundred and five? Definitely.

I’ve been waiting for this moment. It’s rare to have an album with so many amazing tracks, this one has 2 sides worth. No other notes

Finally! We've actually hit a streak of quality. Stevie is just a font of creative talent - this is album number 18 (let that sink in for a moment) and a double at that. Influence 5, Quality 5, Intagibles 4 (it could have easily been albums 18 and 19), personal taste 4. Why can't we have 1/2 stars again?

A bit too long

Every song a banger. Sensational.

1’5

Un disco doble de Stevie Wonder que probablemente esté entre sus mejores, pero que tiene, para mí, un gran problema: es excesivamente largo, a mi parecer. El disco 1 es absolutamente genial, el disco 2 me pareció en su mayoría relleno, a excepción de As, una canción que he amado siempre y me sorprendió que la versión original fuera de Stevie. Mismo caso con Wild Wild West y Gangsta´s Paradise. Todo salió de aquí.

Probably his best. Love Sir Duke.

Stevie reigns supreme

I think Stevie Wonder is one of the only guys who can drop a double album and have it be a good idea. Isnt She Lovely is the high mark for me but truthfully the whole album is a treasure. You will undoubtedly find something to enjoy here.

This is my favorite album of all time

Of all the slop I have subjected myself to by committing to actually listen to what this list has suggested (granted there have been some good albums) THIS is an actual masterpiece.

Ok it's way too long and some parts slow down but it's elevated by some real surprise bangers.

Some great songs and vibes but very long

Better than Coldplay

Perfect! Masterpiece!

Long but great album. Pastime Paradise was the first time I heard it not knowing that Gangstas Paradise was basically a cover. Best song was Sir Duke

Interesting how long it takes this album to get going. Contusion is where it really starts going. Wonder if the gospel start was a strategic choice. Most of the songs here would benefit from radio edits. I appreciate the funky jams, but they get a lot of airtime. Ordinary Pain and on definitely started to feel repetitive within the songs and as a whole. Good music, might add a few songs to my playlist to listen to on shuffle, but not an album I'll listen through again. 4*

This is an excellent album. No question. Worthy of the hype. There are tracks here that are truly ascendant that warrant a five star rating. It's technically incredible, versatile, and an undeniably pleasant listen. I would agree with a bit of the modern day sentiment that it's a bit bloated. There are tracks that feel out of place, overly long, etc. That being said, I'm a walking contradiction as "As" is an all time favorite of mine. Thankful I had the opportunity to listen to this in its entirety. I can't help but wonder what this album would be like if reduced by a third.

I’m glad I’m selective with my 5 stars when albums like this come along.

If you look up "masterpiece" in the dictionary I'm pretty sure it just has this album cover

Sir Duke Pastime paradise

On almost every one of Stevie's albums he is head and shoulders above his contemporaries, but on this album he is light years ahead of everybody. This is one of those special moments in music where the artist is tapped into the ether and can turn the simplest of expressions into an amazing song(s). This album can still be heard in rnb, funk, pop, and rock albums today (2025). He blends all of the aforementioned genres as well as jazz into a beautiful package. 10/10 104/1001

I don’t feel like I’m qualified to talk about SW’s music. Much of it, musically, is beyond me. Jazz stuff. Piano stuff. But that doesn’t matter when these songs hit my ears bc they then bypass my brain and dive straight into my soul.

A few standout tracks amongst a mostly dated collection.

There’s no denying that Songs in the Key of Life is an impressive piece of work. Stevie Wonder delivers a cohesive and ambitious collection of songs that span a wide range of themes and styles. The production is polished, and the craftsmanship behind each track is clearly top-notch. Still, the album doesn’t fully connect with me. Despite its technical and musical brilliance, I find it drags over time. It feels too long, too polished, and ultimately, a bit boring. I can easily understand why it’s so highly praised, but personally, I don’t think I’ll ever become a big Stevie Wonder fan. 3/5

5/5

Love this album

Beautiful songs, but some were a bit boring

I would like to live my happy life listening to this

Fantastic!

What an album, what a talent!

Musically inspiring. Wonderful lyrics. Timeless.

Knew more of these songs from samples 🫣

Was gonna give this a 3, bc I was expecting only a few good songs amongst this double album. But was surprised to hear a few bangers I wasn't familiar with, and also learned Gangster's Paradise is nearly an exact copy of Past Time Paradise.

"holy shit this album is beautiful"

Muy bueno

This was fantastic, loved the energy on this and liked hearing the original sample for “Gangsta’s Paradise”. 4.5/5

Excellent

This is a masterpiece given the very high level of workmanship across a double album; something extremely difficult to do. Lots of big hits across both sides and one thing should be noted here: This was Stevie's 18th (!) album. 10/10.

Goated album. Such a wide variety of songs that are all great, easy to groove to, and just honestly follow the theme of the title. Deserves a spot in the library.

Holy hell, this is gorgeous. It’s like soul music pulled up a chair and gave you a TED Talk on joy, heartbreak, justice, and spiritual energy. Stevie's voice is just buttery smooth, and the arrangements are full of flutes, synths, and beautiful harmonies. Unreal. Spins: All Day Playlist Additions: - Sir Duke - I Wish - Pastime Paradise - Isn't She Lovely - As

First thought was, 21 songs and 144 minutes. No thank you. Couldn't have been more wrong. This album might be the most deserving 5 on this list. And it's his18th album?!

An all-time classic!! No arguments!!

This is how I found out where Gangsta's Paradise's sample came from btw

All tunes are really fine, but this is not the music for me, it is too soft and I do not get any energy from it.

Stevie at the top of the worldddd

Another Sun and As back to back were nice Contusion from disc one goes hard. V sick jazz fusion i like how Easy Goin Evenin has chill harmonica vibes that callback to Isnt she lovely's sick solo and bookend the second disc and then the obviously the big songs slap. dude was at the top of his game and knew it

Pretty heavily produced, super ambitious album

Definitely one of the greatest albums.

I Like this one! OF COURSE

Sometimes literally preachy but whatever. I'm sure it fit the times. I can see why about half of it has been sampled though.

So, a double album that isn’t absolute Shite. Finally! This is superb. So varied. Some of the songs were a bit weaker - not a surprise given his output - but even the worst song on the album is far above some of the other guff that’s on this list.

If there were a Mt. Rushmore of musicians, Stevie Wonder would have to be on it. He's a national treasure. Classic album, iconic songs. Songs in the Key of Life is five stars plus.

Was amazed to learn that Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise was a rework of Pastime Paradise.

This is his *eighteenth* studio album and it's somehow still packed with memorable songs. "Sir Duke," "As," "Isn't She Lovely." Somehow I wasn't aware of "Pastime Paradise" and I almost had to go lay down after I heard it. "I Wish" walked so "Wild Wild West" could run. Probably others too I am forgetting. I think this is a big step up in quality above the other two Stevie albums that have come up. My only complaint is the runtime - Stevie, you obviously you like making lots of albums, just cut this up and pad out the count even further.

One of the most magnificent albums ever created. The artist was in the midst of a creative streak throughout most of the 70s and this is the pinnacle of his achievement. Two full length albums and a single packed with meaningful, melodic masterpieces. 5/5

It was good had a lot of songs I liked Like Village Ghetto Land, Past Time Paradise, Sir Duke, and Saturn

Groovy tunes. Almost perfect, just not quite.

To much Jesus

I really liked this album, the song all carried different sounds and I enjoyed Stevie wonders voice. I also noticed how many hip hop samples come from this album, showing how much of an impact Stevie Wonder has had on music.

Perhaps Mr. Wonder's magnum opus. It's interesting to read that Wonder had plans to quit the music industry leading up to this album. The creative bug must've got him good, as he eventually conjured up the inspiration to release a double album with all sorts of talent helping out; such as George Benson, Herbie Hancock, and Michael Sembello among many others. So what makes this particular album among Stevie Wonder's best? Well, the aforementioned talent involved certainly helps, but everything in the recording and production just sounds even more refined. The fusion of R&B, soul, jazz, funk is adeptly showcased here, along with the usual passion and vigor from Wonder. All while singing about subjects ranging from love, faith, social justice & equality. This honestly would've been a fine swan song for Wonder if he so desired, but the man just couldn't stop grinding away and creating more records. He's a musician through and through. "Songs in the Key of Life" will always be present whenever we need it.

I do enjoy this album, and I do get why it's so highly rated. But it's so long! 7/10

A real achievement but not quite doing it for me

I've been putting off getting into Mr. Wonder's music besides Talking Book and wow was that a mistake. This is actually Perfect, one of the best albums I've ever heard. How does an album this long be so consistently full of life? I could see any of the 20+ songs being someone's favorite and I'm not even sure mine yet. Genuinely fantastic, easiest ten of my life. 10/10

Beste dubbelalbum ooit. Dit is zo'n moment dat werkelijk alles samenkomt. Een genie dat de grootste golf van inspiratie ondergaat die iemand ooit gehad heeft. Je hebt het gevoel dat er zo nog een dubbelalbum inzat.

Primera vez escuchándolo, grata sorpresa de saber que ganstans Paradise uso un canción de este álbum, buena compañía de fondo para las mañanas frías de Buenos Aires, hoy fueron 2°.

yaoyaoyaoya

Brilliant. Will listen often

I love the funky upbeat tunes of Stevie Wonder, but the slow ones always grate on me

A great album

To be brutally honest, there are songs on here that I don't particularly like, and don't care to listen to - but, across the double album, there still is more than an album's-worth of top quallity material. While this may lose marks for lesser albums, I'm happy enough that the best of Songs In The Key Of Life is so visionary and unique and has inspired so much music that came after that it derserves five stars without hesitation. Definitley an album everyone should hear at least once.

Stevie selection not my taste

There’s some good stuff on this double album. And there’s some places it drags. There’s a lot of fluff. Overall, decent album though. “I Wish, Sir Duke, As, and Isn’t She Lovely” are the best cuts. 1001 album worthy: yes 97/177

Banger

I’m still mad about Limp Biscuit yesterday. This ALMOST makes up for it. Has anyone ever been on a heater like Stevie Wonder here? Innervisions , Talking book and this one of the greatest runs in music history. It runs a little long. Would probably be a 5 star single album.

Suffers a bit from being too long winded. I lost interest after a while, but Stevie's music is fantastic all the same! Favorite songs: Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Sir Duke, Black Man, As, Love's in Need of Love Today, Ebony Eyes, Contusion Least favorite songs: Village Ghetto Land, Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call) 3/5

SO GROOVY THIS WAS SUCH A BANGER HOLY, JUST AMAZING

It was a big bite to chew through, but I can't complain when the steak is juicy and the lobster is buttery.

Favorite Track: I Wish

I cannot like this. It's trying too hard, going in all directions. Production feels very dated to me, and I know it is, but it impacts the quality of the songs for me. Of course, the hits are bangers. Even so, doesn't save the record, it takes too long and feels unbalanced.

Amazing

There were a few songs I enjoyed. It was pretty easy to listen to. Although it’s not the first album that comes to mind when I want to listen to music, I appreciate the order of the songs included. Mind blown on pastime paradise, I never heard it and didn’t know gangsta’s paradise was based on it.

Good album. Great hit songs

4.2 - It's good, don't get me wrong he's great. It just feels soooooo bloated

Of course this is a 5, don't be silly. Fave Tracks: Sir Duke, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, Black Man, As 4.6/5

AUGHHHH I love this album so much I could explode

Hard to give any double album here 5 stars but this one came close. A classic.

Absolutely love it though would probably be a 4.7 there are some parts in the beginning that I don’t love the synth or some of the solos, also some lyrics repeated too much for my taste but the album as a whole has so many fantastic influential songs that are phenomenal

Timeless album, one can actually pinpoint how this masterpiece got referenced or influenced other media that came after. It's so well produced it's tough to acknowledge how experimental it is also. I personally don't think I'm aged enough to fully appreciate it, thus the 4 stars, but I'll surely come back to this one every year. Fav tracks: Joy Inside My Tears

The album was just simply marvelous I enjoyed it very much and it brought back memories

21 songs, 2 discs, 104 minutes 3 good songs for a total of about 16 minutes, but those songs elevate the entire cacophony into a worthwhile listening experience. Just make sure to use the skip and slider to whip through the mess to find the treats.

Остался под впечатлением. И записан классно и музыка богата.

Vaya discazo la verdad. Buena musica, buenas voces, buena producción y buenas vibras. Me esperaba cosas buenas porque sabía que Stevie es un buen artista, pero guau. Se notaba la cantidad de pasta que había para hacer música en la época porque suena brutal. Una cantidad casi perfecta de variación entre canciones en cuanto al estilo y el flow, mezclando baladillas chill, con soul y medio funky por momentos. Las lineas de bajo son espectaculares, sobre todo en temas como "Saturn" o "Sir Duke", el cual es el hit del disco y un top caciones de la historia. Destaca tambíen la originalidad e innovación en cuanto al sonido en algunas canciones, ya que suenan mas a los 80 que a los 70. El disco 1 es un 10/10 sin duda. Y de hecho probablemente regresaré de vez en cuando. Puede ser medio banda sonora de verano quien sabe. El disco 2 pega un bajón. Todos los temas de 6 min para arriba son canciones de 3 min cuya ultima secuencia de acordes se repite hasta el infinito, y ni los primeros minutos merecen especialmente la pena. Me da rollo porque realmente se llevaría el 5 el album si no fuera por el disco 2. Tambien en general 21 canciones son una burrada pero bueno, si fueran todas como el disco 1 no impotaría. Resumiendo: Disco 1 -> 10/10 Disco 2 -> 6/10 Conjunto -> 8.75/10 (supongo)

La verdad es que no tengo mucho que decir, en mi opinión un álbum bastante bueno. Destacaría sin duda "Sir Duke", "As" y como no, "Isn't she lovely", la que diría que es la más famosa de este álbum. Sin embargo, se me hizo bastante largo (sobre todo el segundo disco) y tampoco diría que es de mis favoritos. Un buen álbum pero tampoco nada destacable.

Menuda putísima pasada de album. Las primeras canciones son mega brutales y Stevie wonder es un compositor exageradamente bueno. Lo malo q las ultimas canciones decepcionan un pelín pq las primeras son super buenas pero en general es muy buen álbum.

it's ok

i am ashamed of not knowing pastime paradise before this....how embarrassing for me...

Really good beats and classic hits, kinda long though

Wonder is God.

One of the very few 80 minute albums that completely earns its runtime. Literally every song is a total masterpiece.

It’s very simple: this is the very best album ever made. The fact that this is over an hour long and never feels a second too long is testament to that.

Ok, this is the second Stevie Wonder album I’ve had in relatively quick succession and it’s miles better than the last one! Some absolute monsters on this, but I’ll never look to it again!

Not my genre. Just couldn’t get into it. He’s obviously tremendously talented but I didn’t recognize much and didn’t really like it. Plus the album was way too long.

1st half was 3 ish stars for me but really liked the 2nd. There’s a 45 minute 5 star album but it’s stretched out a bit with some filler

One of the best!

One song an album doesn't make way too long and very similar for all tracks

6/5 stars—could be in a tier of its own. Just wall-to-wall bangers on a double album no less

This has not only become one of my favorite albums of all time, but I truly believe this is one of the greatest albums of all time.

Can't be anything but a 5 star rating. Legendary.

It was good but a little long, should have cut some of the fat. Also, they did Stevie dirty on that colonoscopy album art.

No skips

Perfect.

Fav- village ghetto land, love in need of love today

One of my favorite albums of all time. I remember when this came out. There were lines out the doors at record shops. But once in a lifetime type album.

I loved it

excellent; i have an original copy!

I always thought Harriet Tubman was a white man.

Such a fun and energetic album with some really beautiful songs in there too, amazing range that keeps a 1h 45m album interesting

A famous album that is well-loved. I just can't get into it. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't buy it. 3

Stevie Wonder's only double album - full of great tracks.

A man at the height of his powers. Untouchable groove. At times the tacks drag towards the end as they dont out of their own way on the extended solos, but honestly, who the fuck am I? We're just ants in Stevie's world. While I'm more of an Innervisions guy, this album is near perfect. Summer fucking soft man. Also, maybe the two best singles dropped ahead of an album ever in "I Wish" and "Sir Duke." Talented bastard man. 'Cause I love them so....

Really not for me. A couple of classic tracks, yet not an album I'd ever personally play.

Ez gigachad. Best double album ever.

Obviously it’s a classic with numerous outstanding tracks … but it is too long (double albums should be reserved for greatest hits … which I suppose this is!)

Great

It’s time to put a pin in another artist with multiple albums on the list. I think Stevie Wonder is brilliant, and he has so many songs that I love, but so far, none of his albums have gotten five stars from me. I know that Songs in the Key of Life is typically regarded as his best album, so I’m hoping that the generator wound up saving the best of his work for last! Well, I won’t go against popular opinion on this album. Yes, Songs in the Key of Life is a bold and ambitious album, but it completely sticks the landing. Stevie Wonder is one of the best musicians of our time, and he makes this double album completely worth it. He plays the keyboards like no one else on earth, and his arrangements are not only interesting and boundary pushing, but they’re beautiful as well. His voice is fantastic, and he does an excellent job on every song on this album. One of my favorite things that he does with his singing is when he drops his voice into that really low register, almost to a growl. But even when he does that, his voice just exudes a deep passion. I love his vocal fills as well, and it’s almost an insult to call them a ‘fill,’ because it feels to me like it’s just another instrument, adding more beauty and depth to his sound. I wound up listening to this twice, and on my first listen, I was thinking that I would rate this album four stars. But after going through this again, I’ve changed my mind, and I think it’s worthy of a five-star rating. Its length makes it difficult to listen to in its entirety often, but if time weren’t a factor, I could listen to this many times over. I did want to point out some of my favorite songs: -“Sir Duke” is excellent. I’ve heard this song quite a few times over the years, but I never think about it when I think about my favorite Stevie Wonder songs. It’s got a great sound, and I really love how funky the chorus is, especially compared to the verses. It’s some brilliant song structure. -“Wish” had my favorite bass playing on the album. Pure funk bliss. “Village Ghetto Land” had my favorite lyrics on the album, and awesome string arrangements as well. -I just learned a few weeks ago that Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise interpolated Stevie’s “Pastime Paradise.” The synthesized strings are beautiful and haunting, and I loved how the words changed on the second chorus. Another great example of some excellent song structure. -I love the funkiness and backing vocals of “Ordinary Pain.” I can’t think of another Stevie Wonder song where his vocals dip out for so long, but it worked really well. -“Have a Talk With God” has some great funk sound as well, and I loved the bells in the percussion too. Overall, this is a fantastic album. It’s massive and bold, and a complete testament to Stevie Wonder’s incredible talent as a musician, arranger, vocalist, and visionary. It’s astounding to me that this was his 18th album to record. The man has more ideas and creativity in one of his fingernails than I have in my entire body. What an album, and what an artist!

Overall it was good. I didn't really enjoy the two or three songs and I could have done without the extended child bath sounds, but aside from that I really enjoyed this.

Not bad - it felt almost muddy though? Every sound seemed to exist on the same layer or within the same similar range so there wasn't the clarity of sound that I would have liked to hear. I liked Another Star though. 2/5 stars.

B-B-B-B-B-B-BANGER! Always love listening to this one. It is, truly, in the key of life. 10/10

One of the finest albums in the history of recorded music. Stevie’s lyrics were never sharper, his voice never clearer, the music never more interesting and gorgeous. When I need instant joy, I turn to side 1 and 2 of this double album; it solves all my problems. I appreciate the jams like Black Man and Ngiculeta more now than I did when I was younger and only wanted the pop songs.

I look at the run time and think, "OMG" but there is so much brilliant stuff on here that many lesser artists could have made a whole career out of, never mind one release.

50 year old album way ahead of it's time

A bit mixed but the highs are SO high and it feels so cohesive - 7/10

draži mi innervisions, ali remek djelo nevertheless

Sjajan sjajan album

What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said? One of the best of all time.

As a continued Stevie agnostic, a double album is a bit much for me to take. Still, some undoubtedly great stuff here. 3.5/5

Good blend of R&B, pop, jazz and smaltz. Didn't remember that Gangster Paradise is an offshoot of Pastime Paradise. Sir Duke was a staple of my pre-teen self.

He's so awesome, I hear the influence he had on so many other artists in every song.

"ONE" album a day?? Double albums are bombs! Especially this one. Haha. Ok. Wow. There's so much here. HIS 18TH RELEASE?? Unbelievable. AND he was about to retire?? 😂 Absolute monster. Killer grooves. Heavy themes. Blazing trails. Positive vibes. Blind! He's like Daredevil where his lack of sight just juices his other skills to the max. Can't touch Stevie.

Amazing breadth of styles while maintaining an impossible quality. Amazingly talented.

One of my favourites of all time - love it

Stevie Wonder is such a talented guy. He writes all songs, masters the groove by playing most of the band instruments and produces his own records. This is great album, but maybe few songs too long.

Ultra sleek and almost too sleek to my taste. Big credits for amazing multi-instrumental Wonder.

Surprisingly fresh and not as overly sweet as I expected. The album manages to strike a good balance between emotion and restraint. I especially enjoyed the string arrangements in some of the tracks. And since it was released in '70s, it thankfully escaped the glossy excesses of the ’80s. That era had no chance to ruin it yet.

While this sounds nice, I prefer his earlier albums, such as Innervisions or Talking Book.

Grand, but a bit same-Y after a while.

Making a double album with near universal appeal is no easy feat. But this is Stevie Wonder at the height of his popularity and songwriting. Unlike the vast majority of double albums, it's hard to imagine what you could remove here. There's often some real fatigue by the time you get to side 4 of any LP. But here, it only gets more engaging, with some of the best tracks on the entire album rounding it out (ignoring the four tacked on bonus tracks on Spotify). Such is the brilliance of this one that it's been sampled left, right, and center. Younger listeners will undoubtedly recognize much more than they expected. "Contusion", "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Pastime Paradise", "Black Man" and "As" are among Wonder's best songs ever. Although I'm a litle more partial to "Innervisions", "Songs in the Key of Life" is still an incredible album, particularly from an artist who almost gave up music entirely before he made it. It's clear that he still had much more to say.

easy 5

AHHHH I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!!! I will jump on any excuse to relisten to this. Stevie Wonder is just so immensely talented, this album is 1 hr and 44 mins but blows by. It's just loads of fun and you can hear the thought put into every instrument choice, every arrangement, and every lyric. Stevie himself played a lot of instruments on this album! It's just such an important body of work and I love this album so much. 10/10 no questions asked. I was in an American music history class in college and at the end of the semester, our prof asked us to make a list of 5 songs we think encapsulate American music's history. Then we would take everyone's list and narrow them down to 5 collective songs for the whole class. Someone's list had Sir Duke on it and eventually nobody cared about any of the other songs on anyone's list, and we all decided that Sir Duke was maybe the greatest song ever made and encapsulates American music more than any other list anyone made. I have never seen a group of music students agree on something like that. It was magical tbh.

His voice is really good and some of the songs are great. There are a few that I don’t like as much and a few production choices I wasn’t fond of, but overall it was a very enjoyable listen and I would probably listen again. Fav song: Sir Duke Least fav: Summer Soft

Mid

Simply a masterpiece. It had been awhile since I listened to it and never before in headphones - the production is nearly perfect and the melodies are infectious. I often have skipped the hits before but let them play and was impressed with what I heard actively listening. If you like music, you’ll probably like this!

the double perspective in summer soft 🙏

Masterpiece

Awww yeaaahhh. I was so happy to see this pop up today. I was similar with all the big hits (Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, etc) but I never had an excuse to set the time aside to listen to the whole album until today. Better than I would have imagined. Masterpiece. 6/5! There's literally nothing wrong with it. Yeah it's long. So what? Think of it as a movie for your ears. Each song flows so well into the next for an hour and 45 minutes. You won't even notice the time passing. Absolutely worth it to invest in some good headphones. It'll sound great even on the crappiest speakers but you're doing yourself a disservice by missing out on all the tiny details. Not sure if an album like this could be replicated in the future. I'm just happy this exists.

The vocals are amazing. A really enjoyable album.

This is a remarkable album. I loved every song

7/10 Am I giving this an extra star cos I feel that I'm obliged to? Maybe. Sir Duke, I Wish and As are superb songs. But I don't like a lot of the album, and there is a lot of it. I never liked Isn't She Lovely's sickly pop, and to have 6+ mins of it is bordering on torture. If it's your thing then 1hr45mins is probably heaven, but for the casual fan it is far too much.

Amazing !

that ish was long good for sure, crazy range in genre while still adhering to a lot of jazz/funk archetypes favs probably village ghetto land, contusion, and summer soft

Love this album

Classic. So many catchy tunes, and you realize as you listen where so much music took its inspiration.

Stunning. Maybe a bit long but worth it when time allows a full listen.

Great album with a lot of hits, soul filled.

Good Stuff.

adding this to my regular playlists, it cant all be NIN and Barry Adamson

Great album from a fellow Michigander.

Love this album

Could do with revisiting from time to time as it is such a big album. A very enjoyable listen though and a good balance of recognisable and new songs for me.

Love's in Need of Love Today 3.5 Have a Talk with God 3.6 Village Ghetto Land 3.3 Contusion (instrumental) 3.7 Sir Duke 3.8 I Wish 3.7 Knocks Me Off My Feet 3.7 Pastime Paradise 3.8 Summer Soft 3.6 Ordinary Pain 3.6 Isn't She Lovely 3.3 Joy Inside My Tears 3.4 Black Man 3.5 Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing 3.6 If It's Magic 3.5 Asking for It 3.6 Another Star 3.7 Score: 3.582352941

Classic funk album

Granted, there are a bunch of fantastic songs on this album, but it does go on a little long for me. There seems to be a bias in this list that long albums are great albums. I can't agree. A little editing would get you a really great album. Throwing everything on the wall and celebrating that you you nailed it on a half dozen songs doesn't make a great album. Don't get me wrong, Songs In The Key Of Life is a great album. I'm speaking to the concept in general. This album could have been a 5, but not for me as it is.

This album is even weirder than I remember. Very inventive and creative, with several classic tracks. Listening in one go is too much of a good thing for my tastes. Would be better as originally on vinyl with a break every 20 minutes.

if i were reviewing this album back when i first heard it... when i was 14... i would've said it was one of the greatest albums of all time... now, as an old man, my review of it has somewhat tempered a bit... 20 songs... which if pared down to about 15 would be at the very top of every list... oh but those five... they now seem like preachiness... and a bit overdone... but, musically it is like a trip through the world of R&B's many stylings... "I Wish", "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke" were all timers... but my favorite song was always "As"...

I've only heard this album a couple of times and didn't remember it well. My problem with many of Stevie Wonder's albums is there are a handful of solid hard funk/soul then a lot of whiny songs that lack that hard funk edge. So most of the first disc doesn't suffer from that, it's best moments are transcendental--I Wish is my favourite, but Sir Duke and Pastime Paradise are obviously absolute classics as well. Have a talk with god isn't the kind of track you'd think would have a deep funk groove, but it definitely does. Second disc opens with a longer album version of single Isn't She Lovely which made me think my baby daughter was talking before I realized it was the track. Joy Inside My Tears... pretty whiney. Black Man is a solid funk track. Then the latter half of the second side gets a little slow for a while, with some high points. As is good, then Another Star solid. 4/5, would be a five if not for some filler--could have been shorter. Probably Stevie's best album.

Good work. He played it safe while opening up. Great album

Definitely giving retro 70s summer vibes and I love the album cover (reminds me of a sunset). Main criticism is lack of variety, Pastime Paradise was my fave on this album because it was different and stood out from the rest (Gangster's Paradise inspo?!?!.) The whole album reminded me of C.J Rislove's astronaut and the rockstar. Stevie Wonder has a super unique voice which sounded sooo good with the piano. Unfortunately this music isn't really my style or I would have enjoyed this album a lot more. This was very entertaining to listen to as it was out of my comfort zone. (I did want to hear some more slower songs!)

Amazing incredible music, but wow it really is so long. Some of the songs go on for longer than I could enjoy.

Can’t go wrong

Four stars, but more of a really-begrudging-3.5-rounded-up-to-4-stars four stars. There's so many good songs but it can be toothachingly sweet on the whole.

All timer, Love I Wish and Sir Duke