Innervisions

Funky

I definitely like my Stevie more funky than souly, so if we just pretend that Innervisions starts when the drums kick in on 'Living for the City', I am all for the 5/5 rating. 'Higher Ground' is one of the all time songs, and Stevie was, what 22 years old when he wrote this record? Incredible.

Little Stevie Wonder really grew up on this one. Mature, funky, soulful and a small wonder both instrumentally (of course, performed almost exclusively by Stevie himself) and compositional.

Ihan huippu. Viikonloppua vasten budjettiväsäilyjen äärellä toimi ja levy meni ihan siivillä. Kuten työtkin.

This is great music!! Embarrassed I had never listened to Stevie Wonder before

sweet album cover, classic

Solid 4-4.5

Fantastic jazz instrumentals and top notch lyrics from Stevie makes this one of the best soul albums ever.

Excellent album from Stevie Wonder at the beginning of his most creative period.

Fantastic!

Too good.

Minus some slower dragging numbers, it fires on most cylinders.

A nice and easy to listen to motown record Stand out songs: - Living For the City - He's Misstra Know-It-All

Pretty cool classic vibe

Great album. Living in the city is a song to make you laugh, cry, groove, and lament the black experience all at the same time.

a delightful album. stevie wonder mixes soul and funk in such a beautiful way. i can think of no better example than the classic opening to "higher ground". beautiful and catchy. but like you'd expect from an artist like stevie wonder, there's even a pinch of latin in the opening of "don't you worry 'bout a thing"! his voice is truly beautiful. wonder is great with a variety of songs, but with the soft, emotional songs, there is something special when he holds a note. "all in love is fair" destroyed me when i first heard it. legitimately, leave me here to die. my perception of wonder, as a millennial, is that he's an apolitical musician with a focus on soulful, romantic songs. that assessment isn't fair anymore. i knew of the song "living for the city" but only the single version. sure, wonder isn't shoving his comments on society in your face, but he doesn't need to. the full version speaks for itself, and its story is forceful. also, to be fair, it just a good song, musically. i admire the ability to create a good song with a powerful purpose and great lyrics! a good example of his songwriting prowess.

I wasn't familiar with most of the songs on this album, so I was surprised to find Stevie Wonder in somewhat of an experimental, progressive form here! This album strikes a very lovely balance between funk and soul and maintains that all throughout. This not quite a 4 for me, but I really want to give this more than a 3. So rounding it on up! This is just an incredibly well done album from start to finish.

i think this was a repeat😅

"Higher Ground" is one of Stevie's best, and "Living for the City" is classic as well. Rounding up from 3.5.

Of the Stevie Wonder albums we've listened to thus far, this is my favorite. He definetly found his own groove here. Living for The City & Higer Ground are classics, and the rest was quite enjoyable. I can also see how this particular album must've inspired modern R&B/pop artists. 4 stars.

Funky and soulful. Stevie is a great singer with a nose for the catchy verse. I was surprised to enjoy so many songs on this album. Great for casual listening!

A Wonder-ful experience. 4.5/5

Can we get Ground Higher ? Too High... Mocny bop

Actively listened to this one, and it's one of my favorites. The best album I've listened to so far.

sometimes art from the past just seems more naive than today’s, i mean mostly the lyrics, maybe it was just a better world

-STEVIE WONDERRRRR -very excited about this -GOD i forgot how nice stevie wonders voice is -first two songs are pretty average to me, redeeming quality is his voice -LOOOOVE living for the city -AND YOU CAN BET HE. BARELY MAKES A DOLLAR -golden lady is cuuuuute -HIGHER GROUND another favorite of mine -don’t you worry about a thingggg also love that one -overall i love stevie wonder and this album is an easy four stars for me

A funkylicious bonanza to groove and bop to, some really beefy twang of the bass and sharp snaps of the cymbal gives the old ear holes a nice night out.

Best singer oat

Tää on hyvä! Ollut dj-työkaluna jo pidempään! Pyöristyy neloseen. 4/5

Ai jai, sieltä taas mestari iskee! 4/5

I'm familiar with his biggest hits, but I've never done a deep dive into his albums. This was a really great album and I'm looking forward to checking out more of his work. Also I didn't know that "Higher Ground" By RHCP was a cover song until now. I was wondering what they meant by "Stevie says" in the other song, but never made the connection. Very cool!

This was a great album. Stevie has some great hits but the songs I hadn't heard before were also very enjoyable.

Yes! Stevie is so smooth vocally, great groove to this album. And a good mix of mega hits with some stuff I hadn’t heard before and it was all great.

I remember when this album came out and how revolutionary it was. Some of the tracks are beginning to sound a bit dated now, but "Too High" and "Higher Ground" are still relevant. The stand out track, of course, is "Living for the City" which even by today's standards is stupendous in its scope, and unfortunately, is more relevant than ever.

Personal Enjoyability (out of 40): 31 Consistency of Quality (out of 25): 19 Keeps Interest (out of 25): 20 Album Flow (out of 10): 8 Overall 78/100 ★★★★ Quick Review: No two songs sound the same but the quality is consistent throughout. Living for the City has always been a great song but is even more so in context of the album. Side Two of the record is on of the best that I've reviewed so far.

A real classic. Not personally a music genre I love, but I can appreciate the skill and talent that went into this.

Pretty great Stevie Wonder tracks. Some new ones for me. Pretty varied songs, liked the new ones. Solid 4!

16ème album de la légende Stevie. Album très accompli. Des belles de soul et blues. Une voix pas si folle selon moi, mais le son est superbe. Gros coup de coeur pour Higher ground. Note méritée et non volée.

An exceptional amount going on with this, between the music, the lyrics, and the pioneering forays into cutting edge synthesizer technology.

Is every Stevie album a classic?

Like the richest, silky smoothest hot chocolate. A good mix of the big hits you know and smooth jams you don't. A wonderfully laid back affair.

Great listen this, real good summer vibez. Played Steveland.

Each song seemed to build on the last one. Some incredible stuff.

Very good album with the best songs being GREAT songs. I’d give it a 9/10.

Stevie bringing it and bringing me in

Yeeessss let's go. Great album 4/5

Good production, some great songs. Overall, a pretty enjoyable album.

it really hurts to give stevie anything less than a five. and it was so close to being a five too. i just think certain tracks dragged on a lil too long and overall, there was very little coherence between them. other than that tho ABSOLUTELY FIRE THIS MAN FUCKIN B R E A T H E S MUSIC

Good first album to listen to, just got this on vinyl. Still think the chilli peppers version of higher ground is better. I forgot how dramatic some of these songs are, has all R&B. 9/10

8/10

Always a joy to listen to Stevie Wonder.

It's really good! Not quite as good as songs in the key of life so I guess I'll give it a 4 instead of a 5.

Heard it before without ever really listening. Stevie in his absolute prime.

Still relevant today, despite having tracks that reflect political and social society, Innervisions remains a pleasant listen to. Challenging at times, perhaps, but more than simply a necessary listen.

catchy yay

this man can sing also did not know higher ground was a stevie wonder song good stuff

Stevie hoort hier. Hij maakt die Wonders. Het is een vibe

Ja die man is toch puur genieten hoor

Another unassailable classic by the soul genius. Topical themes of racism and injustice, yet still ringing true today, right along with themes of goodness, love, and beauty. I love how well-rounded Stevie is as a songwriter, not afraid to explore themes that might be unpopular on all sides of the fence. Effortlessly smooth.

A classic!

Top 3: Higher Ground All in love is fair Don’t you worry bout a thing

3.5

Beautiful music. Catchy, funky, unique sound. Higher Ground is a classic. Golden Lady is a standout.

This is some of Stevie wonders best work. The funky synthesizer sounds were ahead of its time and he was so good an experience ring while sounding proficient. The positivity and joy that exudes from his music makes it some of the most enjoyable to listen to. This isn’t as good as songs in the key of life but this is probably number two in his albums. Overall it is splendid and worth listening to many times over. 8.4/10

Another really cool Stevie Wonder album. I love the striking cover and this album hits a lot of sounds while still feeling very cohesive.

Pretty fantastic.. living in the city and higher ground are amazing listens. Incredible musical ability.

Couple of absolute bangers brought the rest of the album up.

Obviously some great stuff on here

I enjoyed this - it was fun to listen to while doing the morning down stay with the dogs.

Apart from the classic that is Higher Ground to me this album is the sound of an artist testing the waters, trying to grow but not there yet. Too many false starts but enjoyable to see Stevie Wonder exploring his sound

Stevie Wonder and his career is a no-brainer when it comes to things people experience. Being born blind, his formative years being right into the Civil Rights era, Stevie Wonder was required to listen to the messaging of that day. In a way, his perspective, while not getting the visuals, is one where able to do a lot of what people do not do, and that is really, comprehensively, listen to what is happening and being said. Stevie Wonder's album Innervisions is all of the fun we expect from Stevie, and includes moments of being brought back to earth. This trapeze artist sense of balance capturing the excitement of happiness and acknowledging the anxiety of risk, makes this album more than just music. Stevie Wonder, having honed his ability to communicate at literally in the most cerebral ways, not only performs but writes a great album.

Great album, great cover

Ich mag es sehr gerne, weil Stevie Wonder einfach gut ist!!! Abwechslungsreich, Verzaubernd etc. Jeder Song hat was gutes an sich

Ich mochte das Album echt echt gerne und fand auch, dass es bis jetzt das beste Album war. Viele Songs kannte man natürlich schon. Das einzige was ich vielleicht nicht sooooooo perfekt fand war, dass machen Songs echt lange gehen und ich persönlich mag das nicht so gerne aber wie gesagt war es ein wirklich sehr gutes Album.

Bereits gehört. Stevie Wonder ist einfach eins der Besten Musiker aller Zeiten. Aber es gibt bessere Albums von ihm auch wenn Innervisions stark ist.

Groovy

Must admit, I'm a very late comer to Stevie Wonder's music. I only started really listening to his music in the past year but am slowly starting to digest thru his catalogue. This was the first album i got to. This album is great masterly crafted - some really great songs.

Golden Lady... Oh Golden Lady...

I definitely feel like the title of the very first song. To high. Although stating that I'm in a constant vision quest is a cliché. This are the vision of a blind man. I'm generally scared of the deterioration of my body, but I can't imagine loosing the little eyesight I have. I guess I'm only a techno optimist because of all the oftalmological aid I relay upon. And even with that I know ill suffer tremendously. Just imagine the effects on my vision quest. Soothing sound matching perfectly the color pallet of the cover album art. I want to keep exploring dreams and chart does that have already been explored and materialised.

I enjoy some Stevie every moment of the day. What a musician! Great album, but a little too soft and not my favorite Stevie album.

Cool album

<3

I feel like the funk lives on from this album.

Though it starts a little slow for me, the album shows a pretty surprising diversity of soul, funk and a caribbean cha cha vibe of Don't You Worry. All really easy to enjoy, and Higher Ground is a funktastic amazing party of a song.

4/5

7.5/10

Its Stevie Wonder ofcourse its good [2]

Fantastic very 70's cover art, love it. The opening few songs, surprisingly, do not catch me at all. Golden Lady is pretty and Higher Ground is spectacular, and the album stays strong from there especially Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing. The beginning put me off and my first listen was 3 stars but a second listen brought that up to 4. Normally Stevie Wonder doesn't have to grow on me but there we are.

I didn't think I would like this from the first song but I couldn't stop listening to the rest.

Stevie Wonder bringing some soul to our dark world.

Not exactly to my taste, but the hits are great.

I wonder if Stevie ever dreams of having rough anal sex with me. Boy, I hope so. That'd be just swell.

With this effort Wonder is a bit more contemplative and has several larger story tracks and sounds where a deeper message can be found. By maintaining his backing tracks of conventional love and soul tracks Wonder is able to make a unique experience that shows his abilities at things other than making cute ear worms.

First time listening to an album by Stevie Wonder on purpose. I enjoyed the funky bits more as they were livelier but overall really good album Saved tracks: Living For The City, All In Love Is Fair, Higher Ground

It’s a stevie wonder album

I learn something new almost every day - I really didn't know that "Higher Ground" was recorded by Stevie Wonder (in fact I didn't even know what is the proper name of this song). Innervisions is as very funky album, which, from what I read, is known for being a golden standard of R&B. In that regard I am only partially keen on this type of genre. I love the funkier and full of groove songs like "Higher Ground", or "Living for the City", but the slower ballads, or love songs aren't my kind of jam. One thing for sure, Wonder's voice is absolutely amazing, regardless of the tempo or type of the songs. The only issue is that slower tracks don't have that magic aura in it for me. I think this album falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but out of respect to Stevie and everything he has done, I will give it a four stars. It's a really good record to listen to once in a while, to slow down and enjoy the moment for a bit.

4. Very good album, saved Life in the City. Funky, fun, just slow at parts for my tastes

4.25

Classic 70s Stevie Wonder. Funk, soul, guile, songs, politics and that voice. All great. Solid 4.5

Enjoyed a lot of songs would listen again

incredible vibes

This is the Stevie Wonder album I've been waiting for. I thought 'Songs in the Key of Life' was a work of genius but outstayed it's welcome, and 'Talking Book' was great but brought down by overly sentimental and sickly sweet lyrics. This doesn't have those flaws. It's concise, catchy, extremely groovy and funky with interesting lyrics providing insightful social commentary. It just lacks that one big banger to be a 5 star album. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Too High Date listened: 03/01/23

Unlike a lot of the repeat offenders in this list, I’m never mad when more Stevie pops up. Is this album sufficiently different from any of his other ones? Thus necessitating its inclusion on this list? No. Does it still slap balls? Yes.

favorite tracks - living for the city, higher ground, all in love is fair, dont you worry about a thing, least favorite tracks - n/a not only is wonder a legendary vocalist, his talent as a multi-instrumentalist is on full display here.

notes - soul funk album by stevie wonder - his SIXTEENTH ALBUM - stevie wonder played the majority of all instruments on here AND sang - not to mention writing everything - what an insanely impressive feat - the whole thing feels very connected even with some genre curveballs thrown in - love how different his voice behaves in different situations - loud and quiet etc etc - really really enjoyed MOST of the songs on here - opener too high is great fav - golden lady - love the groove least fav - Jesus children of America - bit over the top for me 4.5/5

Fun album. 4 only because there were no surprises, but it was easily a 5 for enjoyment.

Dope! Nice Ballads and Funky Funk!

I had never purposely listened to Stevie Wonder before. This was really good!

I'm thankful for this list for making me finally listen to all these classic Stevie Wonder albums, this is definitely one of the best (new to me) albums I've heard in awhile. 4.5/5

Smooth Stevie sounds. #34 on the RS Top 500, top. Lots of synth and big band elements. Can’t believe this was SW’s SIXTEENTH album. Dude was cranking’ ‘em out! Best songs: Living for the City & Higher Ground. 5 stars on this one.

I count 5 classics on this. Stevie has music running through his veins. A real groovy 70s vibe too on the other tracks. I could listen to this all day. Perfect.

Funky smoothe soul

I love Stevie Wonder, and feel a special affinity for him as a native Detroiter. This album is great and showcases a more mature Stevie Wonder, but I have to admit that I like the funkier, less mature Stevie Wonder a bit better. I'm not as much a fan of the slower, romantic ballads (e.g. Visions, Golden Lady, All in Love is Fair). There are still some great, funky classics here like Living for the City and Higher Ground. Whenever I travel to NYC for work the first thing I always say when I get out of my Lyft at the hotel is, "New York City, just like I pictured it. Sky scrapers and everything!" Great album, 4 stars.

This is a great album by one of music's true legends, featuring some really funky grooves.

Yeah, good but didn't blow me away.

MITÄ????? R&B JOKA EI OLE PASKAA??? MUSTA MUSIIKKI.... MUSTIEN MUSIIKKI KAKKOSVERSIO... voiko... VOIKO OLLA HYVÄÄ??? Living for the city.. siinä on sitä jotain.. en kerro vielä... All in love.. hehe.. se biisi.. tsihh!! hihi neljä tähtee tsihhh hehe et ehkä ymmärrä tshihihhhih!

pretty good, i just don't like soul that much, especially old. otherwise - i see how it affected music

Прослушано! Прекрасный альбом, обязательно переслушать.

steve!

Love this album. What a classic, can't go wrong

Nothing will top Songs In the Key Of Life, but Innervisions is a wonderful album.

Stevie the hit machine. Unfortunately even though he's written multiple hits per album there is just a lot of filler too. 4 stars.

Not as goods Key of Life but still funky and thought provoking

After having Fulfillingness’ First Finale a few months ago and loving it, I had high hopes for this. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed because it is still great music, but not as initially catchy or impactful. 8/10

felt quite short but very cool and pretty i liked it 😗

Some skippable songs here IMHO, but the great songs are GREAT. Super lush production, good stuff.

Wow, never heard this before and it's awesome!

God, this is awesome. The vocals, the keyboard, piano, guitar...so damn funky. It would be pretty hard NOT to like this.

****

I think Stevie Wonder is probably one of those musicians where I think I only know a handful of songs by him, but when I actually look into it I actually know loads. My favourite of his (Sir Duke) is unfortunately not on this album, but there are still some that I know to be fantastic. Songs I already knew: Living For The City, Higher Ground, Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing Favourite after listening: Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing, Living For The City Overall: 7/10 Stevie was 23 when this was released, and it was his sixteenth album. Can you wrap your head around that? Musicians were just built different back then. When I looked at the track list and recognised some of the songs I hoped that this would be a great listen. However, aside from the ones I already knew, everything else fell a little flatter. That is not to say they were bad by any means, but goodness just compares that way with greatness. Overall, a very good album but I’ll likely only return to the songs I already knew anyway.

Stevie Wonder is wondrous. Some of the songs were more exciting than others, but I enjoyed the vibe of this album

Nice

I was super not digging this one as it kicked off. Sometimes Stevie comes across so soft that it's off-putting. But, somewhere around "Higher Ground" he stopped playing around and started laying it down. Ended up really enjoying "Innervisions" far more than expected.

Ovo je baš neki optimističan album, pun neke dobre energije. Jutro je započelo sa rezanjem kadrova iz svatova, crnim čajem i ovim albumom dok sunce probija lagano kroz maglicu i kroz moj prozor, jako lijep osjećaj.

Not what I was expecting and very up lifting listen.

Groovy

Some was so much better than I was expected - I always found Stevie Wonder a little cringey. Very talented, but just didn't vibe with it. There was some of that on this album, but the majority was just great.

It’s good. Warm and good to play in the kitchen while you cook

Lagano i ljubavno

Lovely chilled album

I do love Stevie Wonder’s early seventies synthesizer work! There are some marvelous moments on this album. It's funky and has a few important messages. It's a perfect time capsule of 1973 and mostly a great time.

Stevie ”Bangermaker” Wonder does it again

Great start to this journey! I’ll probably listen to it again today. It was amazing to hear a full-length funk album from the 70s - especially one of Stevie Wonder’s! I can definitely see that it influenced the sound of artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, and Frank Ocean. - Karimah

i'm giving this 4/5 on the strength of "don't worry bout a thing" alone, but the whole album was good

Quite a good album. I listened through it twice and both times were a bop. 3.75/5

Wow the instrumentals are mesmerizing and trippy while bringing the funk as well. Production is top notch too. Good shit!

After listening to a lot of Stevie, I’ve decided that I prefer his funky stuff over him being a balladeer. His slow stuff just doesn’t do a lot for me. Good thing this is mostly upbeat tracks, though. A-

Stevie Wonder could do no wrong for a good period of time. Higher Ground is an absolute banger of a song.

Plenty of inversions in sound, ‘Living for the City’ an absolute cracker

7/10. Some boring tunes, but Living For the City and He's Misstra Know It All are jams

An album that gets better as you listen to it. Lots of great piano, guitar and bass throughout. Higher ground is definitely the high point with some earlier songs missing the mark

29th July 2022 Listened on our last day in Berrias! Went to a brocante in the morning in Saint Ambroix then came home and chilled before flying home. Funky, clean production and serious serious rhythm. Loved it.

I started out thinking this wasn't the Stevie Wonder I know and then Living for the City came on. I think it is my favourite Wonder number. Higher Ground is also legendary. A truly wonderful listen.

This is definitely the start of something special in Stevie's career - you can sense the creativity brimming over, and the pure musical proficiency he brings - wow.

Overall enjoyed this album. A few of the songs are snoozers for me and not my thing because they are on the slow side but when it picks up it is great music. Enjoyed Golden Lady, Higher Ground, and a few of the other classics here. I can listen to this cleaning, working, hanging out, etc.

7/7/2022 - ALBUM #161 Today's Album: "Innervisions" by Stevie Wonder - This was a pretty fantastic introduction to Stevie Wonder from a generator perspective because it really feels like this record is Stevie transitioning into some of the songwriting and experimental techniques that would define his career. It feels much more like an intentional statement as an entire album than something like Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Although I had heard many of his hits and a fair amount of his most acclaimed record, Songs In The Key Of Life, I hadn’t really ever heard an entire project from him top to bottom, so this being such a cohesive work made it a treat to say the least. The opener, Too High is a really great start for this project, with solid funk grooves that contrast lyrics alluding to the tragedy of someone losing their life to overdose after getting “too high” too many times. The track Visions slows things down after this for a contemplative look at what Stevie invisions for the future look like and how they clash with the harsh reality of injustices today. This theme transfers over to the track Living For The City, where a man moves into the city with barely enough and ends up getting incarcerated by racist police for a crime he didn’t even know he was committing. The voice clips of the policemen and jailer putting this man away hit so hard on a first listen and really make you feel the inequality going on. This theme of Stevie putting these injustices and “innervisions” to song continues throughout the track list and I particularly like the closing track He’s Misstra Know-It-All because it tells the listener exactly who is to blame for all of this injustice: The fast talking business man that thinks he knows everything. It’s almost poetic the way Stevie describes these pieces of shit people that exist in mass in our world and cause so much suffering for others without any regard for it. Now in terms of the actual music on the record, I think there is quite a large array of different moods and styles that Stevie is weaving together here quite well. I like the track Golden Lady for its amazing synth/piano work and its expressive chorus. Higher Ground is a great track as well with a bubbly funk guitar, some interesting cymbal work, and an uplifting message. All In Love Is Fair is one of the shining ballads on the album and it does a good job of capturing the emotion felt in a tough romantic situation. It’s also one of the most passionate vocal performances from Stevie on this album and boy does he blow it out of the park There are moments where I felt that the instrumental pallet felt a bit flatter than what I would typically expect on a Stevie Wonder project, especially when compared to a lush project like SITKOL, but I think the songwriting on this album really makes up for where it lacks sonically. Overall, this is an album jam packed with flavor, personality, soul, and a healthy amount of experimentation. It may not be what I initially expected to get out of a Stevie Wonder album, but the more I listened to it, the more I embraced the thematic songwriting choices he went for. Give this one a listen if you can handle soulful funk grooves and punchy ballads. Highlights: Too High, Visions, Living for the City, Golden Lady, Higher Ground, All in Love is Fair, Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing, He’s Misstra Know-It-All Score: 8/10 A particularly introspective and experimental album from the great Stevie Wonder

Innervisions was a wildly successful album for Wonder, regaled with widespread critical acclaim and and an Album of the Year award from the Grammy's. Listening, it's easy to understand why: Wonder is a master of soul and composition. He weaves beautiful songs of life and love and the complex landscape of America. Moreover, he's a fantastic multi-instrumentalist, which helps bring his vision to full fruition on his own terms. I only wish the production allowed Wonder's songs to have a bit more punch to them, as many come across as flat, which doesn't do the songs justice.

Just some great tunes. Man, I love Stevie Wonder. Best track: Higher Ground

Solid album, filled with funk & soul.

Solid Stevie

Un petit rayon de soleil

It's Stevie Wonder. Always good stuff. Higher Ground is prob my fav song on here.

8/10

Some classics in here but I think my favorite was Living for the City. Still relevant today.

Other than his hits and "Songs in the Key of Life" I have no experience with Stevie Wonder. So, I recognize a couple songs on this record but I'm hearing the album tracks for the first time. The guitar and electric piano interplay on "Visions" was unanticipated and really enjoyable. Of course, "Living for the City" is a great song. Something I don't talk about enough in these review is album art. I really like the cover art for this record.

Stevie’s imperial period. He could do it all, and he made it groove!

Stevie Wonder is just one of those musicians for me ... don't own a single album, know a pile of his music and it's almost like it has been just there always...so listening to some of these tracks, especially something like Living in the City and not sure why but hearing how relevant and strong that track is just shocked me. And Higher Ground is a classic.

Another perfectly produced album by Stevie! The songs are not as impactful as other releases, but the sound is really the selling point.

This is a great album. Social commentary, themed, imaginative, beautifully produced, suffused with craft. Hadn't listened all the way through before and was really happy I did.

Admittedly, I'm not Stevie's biggest fan. I mean I love his music and hearing his big singles is always fun, but on whole albums I tend to find his brand of smooth soul a little too... smooth. Or gentle, let's put it this way. That's why I prefer the tracks that has a little more edge, like Living for the City. But having said that, it's obviously a classic and I can only admire his work even if it's not the first thing I'll want to hear when I want some soul.

Smooth vibe. Such a great soulman - classic album.

I've always enjoyed the soulful playing and creativity of Stevie Wonder, especially in songs like Golden Lady or Visions, on which the guitar is absolutely beautiful and well rendered. Groovy synth tones found on this record are also very nice.

Cool

Vraiment très bon, beaucoup plus apprécié que l'autre que j'ai pogné de Stevie. Aucun moment faible vraiment. Plus un 4.5 qu'un 4

I'm glad to hear this as it expands my funk and R&B knowledge a bit more. As my first listen to Stevie Wonder, he does a great mix of mentioned genres along wonderful sax jazz and piano ballads. It's also very political with it's social issues in the first half, and I appreciate that. I'm not a fan of the cover art, which dates this release personally, but the music itself is anything but. It sounds amazing and is relevant with artists like Silk Sonic taking the torch for this sound.

very good, enjoyed the sound!

Talking Book came up recently so let's see how Stevie's sound has progressed in the 3 weeks / 9 months since then... Ooh it's good news! There's nothing as iconic as Superstition but the schmaltz has pretty much gone, replaced by experimental funk. Example: a track called 'Golden Lady' seemed like a prime candidate for schmaltziness, but turned out to be an absolute banger. I love the infinite key changes. The lyrics in the chorus to Higher Ground are much easier to understand than the RHCP version, too. Good stuff. 3.5 / 4.

The funky songs on this album are among his best. One is Living for the City but the best example is Higher Ground which is also the name of my favourite radio show.

I think the keyboard/synth riffs he lays down are iconic, influential and ahead of their time in 1973. I’m still amazed he plays most of the instruments. Like the other Stevie albums we’ve received, you have the hits and the supporting tracks. The hits on this LP are more political (a good thing by me) and the supporting tracks are more to my liking. The production isn’t as syrupy as his later efforts.

Funky. What a great guy.

This is a really good album from start to finish. 4/5

A fine album with 2 absolutely superb songs; Superstition and I Believe When I fall in Love. The rest of the album ain't half bad neither. My 2nd favorite Stevie Wonder album. 4.5 🌟

This is my second Stevie Wonder album and it further confirms that he's a national treasure and can do no wrong. Pretty crazy that I haven't even gotten songs in the key of life yet. Also Higher Ground is a banger

Ridiculously talented stuff.

Great album, always uplifting and smile-inducing

One is Stevie's least crap albums. I love Stevie, but a lot of the album tracks don't stand out.

I listened to it blindfolded.

Vibes

In which Mr. Wonder plays the organ. Innervisions is ONE of this iconic sounds from a period where Stevie Wonder constantly reinvents his sound'. Crossing over Soul, Jazz, Gospel, Spiritual, and good ole' Rock-N-Roll, Innervisions is a home run.

4.5/5. I have listened to this before, and on this listen I found this album more enjoyable than the first. It is a very solid album, as most of Wonder's albums are. The funk and soul go so well together, and it makes this a very enjoyable album.

One of my all time favourite albums and possibly my favourite by Stevie.

Never listened to a Stevie album before but I truly enjoyed it more than I thought. Great listen and good variety of tunes

can hear Stevie Wonders' influence on artists like Thundercat or Anderson Paak. Funky w/ a side of Jazz. Higher Ground track is a classic that has a bop to it that I love. Don't Worry About a Thing track is boomer city. Nice album just not my cup of tea.

Was lovely listen. Thought I wouldnt dig it that much but boy was i wrong. I enjoyed every track !

Wow we needed this after the previous album, some lighthearted fun from the big SW. I really enjoyed this, as I always do. The kind of funk and fun we all need. Don't you worry about a thing was a highlight,

Funky Stevie Wonder is just the absolute best. He covers so much depth and harshness about the world while still managing to get you toes tapping. I don't like this album as much as Songs In the Key of Life, but it is still one of his best works from his most fruitful period 4/5

It was a revelation when it came out. Living For the City a and Higher Ground are top shelf, but the rest doesn't reach that standard.

OK, no denying this is a phenomenal album and Stevie Wonder is really a musical genius. The heavy use of synthesizers, which was totally innovative. But this album is also noted as a massive influence in the direction of R&B and soul music going forward. And if I'm honest, I'd much rather listen to R&B or soul from the 50s and 60s than the 70s and 80s. The synthesizer-heavy R&B of the 80s is shit. So... great album with a terrible legacy? Shit... just listened to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" and realized that the terrible damage this album may have done to R&B ushered in some classics of the 80s and deserves some credit.

i mean, it's a classic but i can only give 4 as a couple of mediocre tracks (visions, jesus children).

Great album by Mr Wonder

Anytime we get a Stevie Wonder album I know I'm in for a treat. I've heard this title before, but not the album. As expected, really great album, it makes sense why he dominated the Grammys for as long as he did. Just fantastic grooves all over this. I wouldn't put it up there with Songs in the Key of Life but it's still a great ride. Favorite tracks: Higher Ground, Living for the City, Too High, All in Love is Fair, Don't You Worry Bout a Thing. Album art: That's another thing about Stevie Wonder, great album arts. This one is really nice, love the landscape and the color palate. The poor guy's blind and yet has some of the best covers to look at. 4.5/5

The record is just good. I like Talking Book more overall but I think the highs on this album are better.

The fact that Stevie performed six of these songs himself is insane. I've seen commercials with "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" in it and would've expected that would've ruined it for me, but I still enjoyed it, especially with the added latin flair throughout the song. Strong funk, soul, gospel record. Favorite tracks: "Living for the City", "Jesus Children of America"

Muy buen disco

Stevie Wonder is always worth a listen! Stand out song is obviously Higher Ground, but the whole album is solid

this was pleasantly surprising. the sound is so unlike any other stuff i'v heard from the 70's, much less by stevie wonder, but i really really liked this!! yaayy

Great album. Thoroughly enjoyed. "Living for the City" was wonderful on headphones. And who doesn't love the funky sound of "Higher Ground".

Damn fine album.

good length. great songs. living for the city and higher ground are obvs the best

What’s not to love about Stevie, don’t you worry is a classic

I love Stevie Wonder, and this album is solid. It’s not as poppy or catchy as some of his other stuff, but it’s really interesting and introspective and a little political. Loved it.

groovy

Imperdible, sonido muy cara teriztico 4

8/10

Not my favorite of Stevie Wonder's albums but still great!

This one is largely more in the admire, but not love camp. Higher Ground and City will always be keepers, but this has always felt like personal essay territory, less great music. Of course he is an incredible performer, a veritable one-man Radiohead/Curtis/Sly (well, I guess Sly is a one-man Sly). Just astonishing, but not the music of his that I love.

In all honesty, it’s not for me, I didn’t dislike it but I think you need to be a Stevie wonder fan to get the best from it

I guess this is great if you like that kind of music.

Good throughout with little impact

Que maravilla Stevie, no es de sus mejores discos igual

Ok

In classic Stevie fashion, very dense- Lots of harmonic real estate being taken up. A whole lot of complex intervals, key changes, and soulful belts. I tend favor his work that falls more on the soul side, but nonetheless a very thorough record.

Decent album, just not my kind of music

gran álbum muy buenos temas Too High - Living For the City - Don't you worry 'Bout A Thing buen ambiente tambien muy ameno, es gran álbum para tener de fondo y disfrutar igual. aprobado

Funky Stevie is pretty cool when he gets going, but the punctuations of balladry really don't work for me. I recognise a lot of the tracks here so I assume this is a big influential album but I'm too ignorant of soul music to really get the implications.

This was amazing. He's really strong here

too high - cool funky beat, confusing lyrics, fun 8/10 visions - good message, 8.5/10 living for the city - life of prejudice & police brutality, upbeat and passionate voice 9/10 golden lady - reminds me of despicable me 7/10 higher ground - 6/10 jesus children of america 6.5/10 all in love is fair - 8/10 dont you worry bout a thing - 9/10 hes misstra know it all - 10/10

very stevie wondery, very good

Good stuff but not his best!

This album was smooth and very nice to listen to. There were some good songs but overall it didn’t stick out to over some of the other albums I’ve listened to on this journey.

Good

I didn't love the first two but Living for the City is cool. The middle songs are okay and I think live or in certain vibes they'd be nice but I don't love them. I liked Don't Worry About a Ting and Misstra Know It All. I like those two much more than the rest of the album except maybe Living For the City. I think for the City is my favourite.

The first two songs of this album turned me off and almost made me stop listening but I forced myself through and found the remainder of the album to be very good. Still not my cup of tea but I didn't hate it.

I liked this less than I wanted to overall, but lots to like nonetheless.

Not as good as the other album I've listened to so far off this list by him but it's still a lot better than the majority of crap on this list

Funky. Toujours pas mon style, mais quand même mieux que Marvin Gaye

Aikalailla vuorotellen hitaita balladeja ja menevämpiä kappaleita. Hyviä rentoja kappaleita, funkkeja ja jazzevia. Higher Ground orkkis tällä. Parhaat: Higher Ground, Visions

Possibly the best funk/soul album I've had so far (there have been quite a lot!). Although this might be the worst cover art yet! Happy to have heard this once, but will probably not search it out for another listen. When Little Stevie Wonder became Big Boy Stevie Wonder. Dunno what else to say really! Most unlike me!

It was fine. And that's fine

6/10

it's a classic. not MY favorite, but a classic.

This album has a few standouts, but some of the songs fell flat for me. I’m a Stevie Wonder fan, but sometimes he sings outside of his vocal range and it’s grating.

this album has a consistent smoothness to it that separates itself from others. My first Stevie wonder album and i enjoyed it quite a bit. However I found that some times it turned into a background kind of music. the smoothness is a double bladed sword in that regard. Songs I liked: Living for the city, Higher ground, don't you worry 'bout a thing 3.5/5

Golden Lady was alright. I'm not a big fan of motown, but Higher Ground is good. All in Love Is Fair was nice.

And a half.

Not bad, few good ones in there

Great 70’s Stevie Wonder album

Hits and misses

Good album with some solid songs. 6.8/10

groovy ash and holy basslines

tiene buneos temas que me guarde, pero no me mato.

I wish every song was like Higher Ground!! I’ll give it another listen at some point but for now…3

Given how funky Stevie got during his career, and especially on this album, it surprises me he wasn’t sampled more in hip hop.

Très très average pour du Stevie

I like Stevie Wonder pretty good. Seems like a cool guy, and his music generally has some solid funk to it. And this record has some of that (Higher Ground rules). But this record is less interesting than Talking Book. 7/10

Wasn't sure I'd like this one, but I've ended up enjoying and repeating parts of it. Just not all

Living For The City and He's Misstra Know-It-All are the highlights holding this up.

Jesus Child Of America Don't You Worry'Bout A Thing Higher Ground Living For The City He's Misstra Know-It-All All In Love Is Fair Too High Golden Lady Visions

It's Stevie Wonder - a nice album but didn't make me fall in love. Some of the songs are a little sickly sweet that I couldn't decide whether I loved or hated them. Favourites: Visions Living For The City Higher Ground

Kul og tidlig Stevie! Før gulltiden hans for min del, men kvaliteten på musikken er skyhøy! Digger dette!

Pas son meilleur album mais on aime la vibe

6/10 Fun listen, a couple songs saved to the playlist.

Yup

Didn't really like this as much as I was expecting. Honestly the slower/ more ballad type songs like Golden Lady are where I gravitated the most. The more 'funk' heavy a song was, the more I didn't like it too much as I don't feel the production aged all that well. Still can't say it was terrible though, 3/5

Enjoyed this one, he sounded younger than I was expecting

very good surprise, the first two songs are so sweet and soothing! living for the city a classic and a statement!!!!!!

Se me ve como footprint para mucha música con esas vibras funky-disco Tiene éxitos que de nuevo se vuelve sorpresivo saber que el compositor es el mismísimo Stevie como Higher Ground, lo veo como una persona muy humilde honestamente porque no es como que el se jacte de nada de eso, solo disfruta de lo que hace a lo que he visto Buena vibra durante todo el viaje de este álbum, no sé porque, pero creo que aún estoy por escuchar lo mejor de el, a pesar de haber escuchado ya 2 álbumes considerados grandes referentes

The bass in this album is really what I enjoyed.

Норм но непонятно зачем

he's done both better and worse

Ame la primera y ultima canción del album, mejor de lo que esperaba. Aunque muchas de las canciones del album pecan de repetir la misma frase una y otra vez.

Different than what I'm used to from Stevie Wonder, not as much Motown. He definitely makes a left turn here, but I like that there is a good amount of variety. Its a mix of funk, Motown, fusion jazz, classic guitar, ballad. He also does this thing where he sings in a different voice for a couple songs which is kinda strange haha. Might go back to it!

Living For The City is worth its 7 minutes and Higher Ground is an incredibly groovy beat, but otherwise it did not stand out that much.

Maybe I’ve listened to this album way too many times involuntarily to find this enjoyable but I didn’t love this… sorry

pierwsza piosenka naj

At times it was interesting, at times I nodded my head, but mostly I was just fucking bored. The last two songs save it from a worse score. That moment in the middle of “Living for the City” where the guy gets out of a cab and gets arrested without taking a step is hilarious, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to be.

Groovy. La primer canción "too high" no me gustó para nada y pensé que no iba a estar muy bueno, pero el resto del álbum es muy bueno. Buen sonido, buenas letras algunas solo para bailar y otras con mensajes más reflexivos.

Alright. 3.5 stars.

It was nice, and maybe that was all it really was. When I was in t he groove of listening to it, it was quite nice, but there was nothing that felt like it stood out to me, other than Don't You Worry About A Thing was something I had heard a cover for previously

i feel criminal not putting a 5 here but i'm speaking my truth

Few belters and a few sucked.

This album was a walk on a city block. This album was all around pretty good, it certainly did not overstay it's welcome and had a consistent vibe with unique songs which is cool. Not a particularly blow your socks off album, but it was pretty good. Favorite track was Higher Ground, gotta love those keys.

peak.

i wish his music always sounded like superstition

Сара 3 Марко 3

Très content d’écouter ça Ça commence mou Living for the city : ça pete ! C’est bien mais je suis un peu déçu au final

why do so many songs have to use the slow fade out

I was in such a terrible mood when I put this on. I was stomping round the house, all puffed up like a duck. Stevie will make me fell better, I thought. Stevie will make it all ok. In fact, Stevie did not make it all ok. The album imploded like that titanic submarine under these colossal expectations. Woomf.

Was not expecting much at all but had great fun cleaning the house to it. Maybe a 3.5

Would give the highest rating for All Love Is Fair alone but its an album that again, washed over me

In all honesty I expected to be grabbed by this album way more. I didn't dislike it at all, it just didn't really hit me

Solid.

Solid Stevie

Enjoyable album. Stevie can do better tho. This was still good tho. Favorite tracks: All in Love is Fair, Living for the City

Groovy motherfucker

Easy listening, couple of familiar hits.

Good, a good album.

Stevieee

A few classic like always with Stevie, I like the other album we had from him better though. Find it pretty cheesy at times.

Slow but acceptable