Talking Book

Maybe Your Baby is the dirtiest funk imaginable, while everyone loves Superstition, but there is a lot of schmaltz.

Ohne Superstition wären es zwei Sterne

Obviously know Stevie. I am aware of this album, never heard this. This is soulful.

soulful

I enjoyed it. Superstition is obviously the standout, but there were parts where it got a bit boring for me.

Ordentliches Album von Stevie mit zwei Klassikern “You are the Sunshine of my heart” und “Superstition”. Nett zu hören aber auf dem Album ist eine gehörige Portion Langeweile.

Stevie Wonder is one of the most musically talented people to ever exist. Bigger fan of Innervisions

Smooth and easy to listen to, if a bit sweet in places. Was expecting more of the album to sound like Superstition but it just kind of comes out of nowhere with a very different feeling to the rest.

Mostly enjoyed this. Sometimes his music can be a little too slow for me, but his more upbeat songs are great. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again

t.o.n.t.o., pronto

Bueno

Weird production which brought down the score

A nice easy listening album with a couple of great hits on it. Do I think it's a top 100 album of all time? No. But it's still solid and deserves it's praise. 6/10 (3/5)

Some hits, some misses

Couple of great tracks, otherwise not much for me

This is nice but it's so many love ballads

Not my fave of his

I realized I knew what he looked like, but not actually didnt know his voice well at all. So this was an exciting album to go through. I'm also realizing I am so used to short pop song these days. A 4 and half minute song seems SUPER long to my attention span haha. Track 1 - You are the Sunshine of My Life - The opening track is everyone's favorite cheesy wedding reception song. Track 2 - But then Maybe Your Baby came on, and I really enjoyed the funkiness. The chorus on that is so good - the song is surprisingly long though. Track 3 -You and I - Meh. Long. Track 4 - Tuesday Heartbreak - I liked the end where he let his voice get funky and raspy. I wanted more of that! Track 5 - You've got it bad girl - Not into this one. The weird chatter in the background is distracting. Track 6 - Superstition - I didnt realize this was Stevie Wonder! Fun, funky song. I could listen to a whole album in this style. Track 7 - Big Brother - This is a really interesting protest song. A very different vibe than some of the love songs that came before. That last verse, wow! Track 8 - Blame It On the Sun - I like the self doubt and reflection here. Track 9 - Lookin´for another pure love - way too slow for me Track 10 - I Believe - Meh.

Stevie explores a different sonic pallet on this project. It does produce gems like Superstitious but as a whole, loses some of Stevie's unique style and funkiness. There's a lot of Marvin Gaye influence on this which I'm sure many people love but isn't really for me. It's still a Stevie Wonder project and it sounds great.

There are some total bangers on this album and a few boring first dance wedding songs. The funk songs (“Maybe your baby”, “superstition”, etc) are incredible. The instrumental work and the vocals on those style tracks are killer, especially the synth/electric keys. The love songs leave me a bit bored to death though. The big hit of “sunshine” is fun enough to keep it going but the ballads just drag on for me. The singing is great technically, regardless. One song that seemed real out of place was “Big Brother”. Great message in the lyrics but it sounds like a Simon and Garfunkel tune. Really bizarre inclusion but it shows that Stevie has quite the range. Gimme a whole album of Stevie Wonder funk songs, instant 5. The rest I can do without.

Album Cover: Stevey Wonder reading the ground. There's a good mix of funk, love, and pop songs. Zero down tempo kill songs though. I gawfawed at the backing vocals during You've Got It Bad Girl. The only miss is the anti government song. Not for me.

Never really gave Stevie Wonder a chance. I know who he is but I couldn't tell you a single song of his. Oh Superstition is one of his! I've heard that one for sure. I gave this an honest listen. It was alright. Didn't hate it didn't love it. 3 stars.

Solid album. Superstition, despite being the most popular song on the album, struck me as sounding so different from the rest of the songs. That song has a lot more funk going on than the rest and it’s just an interesting choice. All in all, solid album that I would give another listen to.

I liked it. I was stoked when Superstition came on. I liked it as a whole, but don’t think it was good enough to be 4 stars.

Fine! Nothing particularly special. 3.0

Superstition is a stone cold classic The rest is fine

It’s a wonderful piece of work but you can hear he’s still finding his voice. It’s his development for songs in the key in life. Superstition is amazing though! He’s in his element with funky soul vibes

-has a lot of structural similarities to Songs In The Key Of Life. I def like SITKOL better but this is really good too, the quirky synthesizers are a neat addition. Superstition is a fucking amazing song -Favorites are Maybe Your Baby, Tuesday Heartbreak, and Superstition

It's ok. I am not very into this album, though, I wouldn't want to listen to it over and over.

It was okay

Stevie's so soulful, but I never remember his songs.

Raw young Stevie was cool. 7/10. Favorite song: Tuesday Heartbreak

Pretty jazzy, some jam band-y long instrumentals on songs. I prefer the catchier shorter songs. Some of the production/electronic instruments sound dated.

3,5

I like it, but it will not be one of my favourites.

This is an album made up of some very good songs, but overall it's having a bit of an identity crisis. It can't quite figure out if it wants to be fun & funky, or slow & romantic. So it tries to be both and the result feels disjointed. The funky songs are the better of the two options. Standout songs include "Big Brother", which is surprisingly modern-sounding, and of course "Superstition", which is probably the best song on the album.

A bit meandering in parts but still very good, some classics here of course 3.5*

stevie.

There is the Stevie Wonder I like and the Stevie Wonder I do not enjoy as much. You are the Sunshine of my Life, I Just Called to Say I Love You, etc are songs I don't enjoy as much. This album is more of the good Stevie than the bad but there is definitely bad here. You are the Sunshine of My Life, Maybe Your Baby (too damn repetitive at the end), The good is Superstition, You've Got it Bad Girl and I Believe. I have discovered through this project that I like Stevie Wonder and that some of his albums are not as good as others may think they are (at least to me). This is not a bad album by any stretch but it's not up to Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life.

Like the previous Stevie Wonder one, I enjoyed this as background music.

It’s good. But I think there are too many of the sugary sweet songs on here - I need more of the real funky shit

This is the only Stevie Wonder release I ever purchased. (cassette!) I lent it to a "friend" and never got it back. Good album and an enjoyable listen.

Not my favourite style, but still some bangers on this album. 3/5

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. Pero es un rollo el disco.

The moog/synth of "Superstition" just may be the coolest, funkiest thing ever put to tape. The most iconic song from a legendary artist. It's Funky Stevie at his all-time best. Would have liked more of THAT Stevie on this album, but "Maybe Your Baby" is the only other funky offering here and, for me, was the greatest discovery on otherwise ballad-filled album. I can listen to Funky Stevie all day long. But the rest of this album is Ballad Stevie, which (while pleasant and enjoyable) starts to wear thin after a while.

dubs

Some good songs on this album but also some sappy soft stuff. Best songs are Superstition and I Believe to close the record.

Love Stevie but not a super consistent album overall.

Very funky. Probably never going to listen to it again.

Stevie Wonder's delivery can't be denied, but some of the songs were still bland to me nonetheless. Superstition is obviously amazing, and there were several strong ballads, but others didn't light me on fire. The Bill Wurtz-esque style was odd to hear from the time before it became a parody!

Got a bit bored

Very lovely album. 3/5

It was just alright. Nothing special.

Just nice background music, nothing special.

Two all time great songs but the rest didn’t come close to rising to that level.

This was a little underwhelming for me but overall still a good album. Not Stevie at his best for me, but still a good album compared to others.

Soul, 1972 -> 3

Initially thought this might be a 4, couple of all time classic songs. But the rest didn't do much for me.

Some schmaltzy-pap along with the glorious "I Believe" and the absolute FILTH of Superstition. Almost gets 5 for Superstition alone.

It's always good to hear Stevie Wonder.

Fantastic album. Not all of it was my cup of tea, but the great care in creating each song was noticed.

Superstition and the opener You Are The Sunshine of My Life are classics. Wonder is an amazing talent 7.0/10

Oh it was fine. Very nice. Stevie always is.

Your compatibility with swt2k is Very Low. You both listen to Porter Robinson, Aphex Twin and Radiohead.

Bit too smooth - but some excellent songs

there are fewer than one hundred 'ultra bangers' in existence, and there's one on this album.

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life Maybe Your Baby Superstition Blame It On The Sun

This one would be a 5 if it was just Maybe, Tuesday, and Superstition. And maybe Blame it on the sun. The bossanova elevator stuff just ends up feeling like filler. Also this is my third or fourth Stevie album on the list and I find myself rating based less on the greater 1001 list and more against an artists other albums, for those who have many on the list, like Bowie, Beatles, etc. I still like Stevie's FFF best, and I gave that a 4, so by default this is a 3.5

a gentle album, with the fabulous Superstition the stand-out song

I actually have a hard time to rate this album, as it went by extremely fast - which I do not know if it is a good thing or bad thing. Obviously there are some highlight songs, but the others seemed to breeze by.

I feel like a lot of the albums on this list have been paid homage to or parodied so much in the subsequent years that it becomes extremely difficult to evaluate them without all that has come since

Still not my vibe.

This felt dangerously close to elevator music at times but was fine overall.

I like Superstition

He’s obviously good, and Superstition is obviously an all time great song. But I just can’t get into him.

Discovered some songs I had never heard from him, it was a nice listen.

I appreciate it for what it is and I do dig synth.

It contains one of the best singles ever, so that elevates it. But in general this type of music is not my thing.

If you're in the mood for sickly sweet love, it's the album for you... And your partner, but if you're looking for the stereotypical Wonder vibe, this ain't it. You'll only get it from Superstition on this album, which is actually good enough to carry the whole album... Just not that far. Songs in the Key of Life is what you are really looking for.

Not great, not terrible.

superstition great reset okay

I remember this album and its still pretty good.

To me, in light of the things that occurred in Stevie's career before 1972, and the fact that he would go on to release two completely generation-defining records in the years that followed, Talking Book feels like a necessary but failed experiment. Some parts work great, and you can hear those parts brought to the forefront on Innervisions and SITKOL.

Solid Standout songs: Maybe your baby Lookin for another pure love Tuesday Heartbreak

It is said this is where Stevie Wonder broke free and proved he's more than just another Motown puppet. "Superstition" still rocks, "Maybe Your Baby" is groovy but drags, and the rest oscillates between great soul funk and filler. Lyrics are sugary but hey, it's soul! Wonder's middle finger to anyone who doubted his genius, but his masterpieces came later.

Fun album, glad we got another Stevie Wonder. Not sure if this is a hot take but many of these songs got very repetitive as the song went on. Some spent minutes repeating the same line over and over. Wasn’t a fan of that. Superstition is a keeper though.

The hits are what I need to hear. Otherwise I feel like skipping. 'You've Got It Bad, Girl' was a nice discovery. Next!

Not bad overall. Superstition is one of my personal all time favorite Stevie songs (and Higher Ground). Rest is the album is fine - you can feel/hear where Stevie is headed. Funky times ahead in ‘73 via innervisions

Standard Stevie Wonder

Very good writing and production

Prettt good

Superstition!

Let's start with a 1-10 : 6 Then overall how id describe it: is it groovy? At times.. is it good? Sure. I just don't think this one is for me.

Every time I read a Stevie Wonder write-up I think I am going to love the album. I never do. He is an incredibly gifted musician and somehow both timeless and ahead of his time. But i just don’t fall for his sweet soul and sexless funk.

Meh

Great album

Pretty decent. Most of the songs fall a bit flat or are too unstructured and pedestrian for my tastes. Even the best track, Superstition leans too heavily on its groove.

pretty good

Recognizable hits mixed with obscurities. Not my favorite SW album

First of all, II beliieve that Stevie Wonder has a place on any sort of 1001 album before you die list. It is good to know who Stevie Wonder is and the culture and history around his coming to fame. With that said, he has that soft voice and easy style that is shared by many a fine musician. The jazzy insrumentals are also highly professional and seen in many spaces. I personally find a female voice accompanying a jazz background to be more fulfilling than a male, but this is not a criticism of thiis music in any way. The issue may come down to one of two choices: Do you buy into the life story/ hype of Stevie Wonder as a legend, or do you listen to this album and rate it in an open and honest way? I choose the latter.

Didn't fully listen but it's pretty good! Can't beat a little Stevie Wonder. Favorite song was Lookin' For Another Pure Love. Did not add to my Spotify library.

One decent song, the rest are so so

A few decent tracks on there, 3.5*

It’s Stevie very mellow. Has one big hit and then some decent songs

wildly creative and superstition is a banger but it’s just too corny

Honestly, there are a couple of good songs, but I thought this was a bit lackluster.

This didn't grab me as much as Fulfillingness' First Finale, though Superstition is fantastic - if more of the album were like this, it would be an easy 5. "I Believe" is another highlight for me.

Repetitive. Catchy. Has the hits.

- funky n groovy - Stevie is so smooth - vibe switch in the second half - very enjoyable

Good variety of songs. Album is carried by superstition but quite a few downers.

If the album was full of songs like Superstitious, it would be a 5* album. But it's not. There are probably 3 or 4 songs on here that I really like a lot. But the rest I really don't like, and some of them I don't like a lot, too. So I guess that all averages out to an average album.

If the album kept the same energy as superstition it be a 5, I knock it down for pace

I generally appreciate Stevie Wonder, especially his vocals and his harmonica-play. "Superstition" stands out and I like "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Big Brother" and "Believe" but this whole album don´t clicks for me.

Pretty funky and groovy, I guess. Superstition is the stand out track, but overall I don't know if this genre/style is my cup of tea so outside of one or two songs there's no point in repeated listens.

Not a huge fan of this one. Outside of Superstition (which, if just that song had been the entire album, instant 5, no comments), there's some interesting stuff happening with the keyboard, but it's also a bit repetitive and fails to feel like there's anything that makes this stand apart from other commercially available music. Where's the stuff that makes Stevie Wonder stand out? Cus it ain't this album.

Rentoa funkkia tai soulia. Superstition klassikko tällä levyllä. You've Got It Bad Girlissä mielenkiintoinen sointukuvio. Parhaat: You've Got It Bad Girl, Superstition, I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

Importante e influyente disco de Wonder. Elegancia académica y sofisticada. Ojos que no ven, corazón que siente.

Excellent songs with a fair bit of filler.

Some great songs but it felt like there were quite a few ‘fillers’ too. All a bit too similar in tone and pace.

Several memorable top-10 hits.

Love the funky clavinet tracks, hate the schmaltzy piano ones. His voice is so weird: he has such control and range and subtlety with it, but he loves these unresolved jazzy minor11th or whatever melodies that mean he always sounds off key. Music theory heads love to figure out all the little modulations and chord voicings and stuff he does, and that's neat and everything, but fails to ask the basic question of it slaps, and too often, this does not. Especially when you have Superstition just sitting there demonstrating how hard he can rock its very annoying wading through all this over-thought wishy washy stuff. That said, there's some really fun synth noodling thrown in there.

Most songs on this album don't do it for me, but then there's superstition which adds at least a star to the rating

Has some great songs but as far as Stevie goes not the best. High 3

Some lovely songs on here

Eh, it's OK I guess. Nothing is actually bad, but not my style.

A funky dream

Yeah it's pretty good but its not Songs in the key of life

7/10

Mir gefiel "Innervisions" etwas besser, allerdings war "Talking Book" solide Hintergrundmusik für mich. Kann man sich definitiv mal geben, trotzdem ist jetzt erstmal kein Song besonders bei mir hängen geblieben.

Three stars?! That's quite radical of me, right? Well, let me explain. I've had this album saved for a while, but still chose to only listen to Superstition everytime, because it's simply the best track on there. Listening to this album back to back is a super sappy and overly sweet romantic journey, and compared to Innervisions (for example), it just becomes bland to listen to. I'd say that for me, it's just one of the slightly weaker Stevie Wonder albums. And I have the bar raised pretty high for him.

Chill and funky - I love Superstition and there's a couple other good tracks, but I probably won't add this one to my regular rotation. Feel like a remaster would maybe improve the experience?

Not my style, but ok

The hits I already knew are the best songs.

Overall a solid album. Not one of my favorites on this list, but it is hard to deny the talent of Stevie Wonder.

This album is special off of 2 songs alone, the rest of it doesn't excite me as much but Stevie is too talented to create anything bad. Best Song: You & I, Superstition Worst Song: N/A

There's some solid Stevie bangers on here, it's just rough putting any other song on here next to Superstition. It's just gonna pale in comparison. A lot of these tracks start out really well but end up losing themselves in the jams towards the end for a few minutes. Could definitely use some tidying up.

so much talent but a little sappy and boring for my taste. superstition is soo good though.

This album seemed to be an experiment, a departure from the main stable of Motown. I can see why people refer to it as Stevie's Classic era: the delightful backing harmonies, his layered vocals, killer guitars, use of Moog and clavinet. These instruments are not overused and they didn't bore me. Some songs (You And I, Lookin' For Another Pure Love) were too saccharine for my liking. Maybe Your Baby didn't need a 2 minute long "repeat until fade" outro. I feel that this album needed another upbeat funk song to balance the "slow dance" tunes. Overall: 6/10

Liked this more than expected. Groovy 70s vibe. Starred 3 songs and listened to album twice.

It's Stevie so of course it's good but it's probably his less impressive album of his classic run.

Superstition and other good, but forgettable songs.

A nice Stevie Wonder's collection of songs, but he was still far from his best works like Innervisions or Songs In The Key of Life. Enjoyable stuff, tho!

Definitely liked some songs, good chill music.

Half good

Well, Stevie Wonder does it again — and by “it” I mean pulls the wool over our eyes in a deftly played, multidecade subterfuge of pretending to be a blind person. One listen to Talking Book quickly convinces the audience that this man is an accomplished musician — not a blind person. For the uninitiated, it’s easy to dismiss this critique as being ableist, or outright mean spirited. But anyone who knows anything about music quickly realizes that music consists of musical notes printed on paper — a decidedly visual exercise, despite its similar reliance on things like tonality, rhythm, melody and harmony, and other sound-y things that make noise. I’m not saying a blind person couldn’t make an album this good — I’m just saying if they did, they’d get the Full Five Treatment. Five stars for the long con — three stars for a great offering from a sighted person that continues to delight, more than 50 years after its release. (YouTube ‘Stevie Wonder isn’t blind’ if you don’t believe this humble reviewer.)

Finished better than it starts. I mean it’s really good and it serves as more than just a delivery husk for “Superstitious” but certain tracks leave you wondering if they should have ever made it out of demo.

Maybe Your Baby had it all going on, rest was a bit chill?

7.5/10 - 3/5 There are some absolute hits here, for sure. It's a very well constructed album, too. But besides the hits, it's a little mellow for my tastes.

This album has one song that needs to be heard and that song is Superstition. Maybe Your Baby is actually pretty funky and shows potential but then Stevie had to fuck it up with another boring love song You and I. This could be a cool funk album but there’s far too much cheese for it to be fun. 3 stars

Funky

You and I and I Believe are pleasant songs. Superstition is a song I recognized and didn't expect to pop up in this album. It's also a good song. Solid album and for the most part relaxing.

Not as good as I expected and not really timeless

Not bad! I have other Stevie favorites, but this is pretty good. Several cool tracks, some are meh.

Ging do

Contient quelques tubes indiscutables : “You are the sunshine of my life”, “Superstition”, des titres moins connus mais charmants “I believe (when I fall in love it will be forever)”, “Blame it on the sun”. Le deuxième titre “Maybe your baby” est inutilement long et casse bonbon et ça gâche un peu l’expérience, et quelques morceaux un peu moins emballants. Ça reste très funky et très au-dessus de la mêlée.

A decent album overall. It picks up quite a bit after my favorite track, "Superstition."

Sappy Stevie is not my favourite but Superstition is one of the greatest songs of all time so that alone brings it up by a star.

2.5

I'm always really expecting of Stevie Wonder and always sort of disappointed by his albums. Maybe I want too much?

This was a refreshing contrast to Innervisions. Slow and more relaxed, I appreciate that. I also really enjoy anytime he has a harmonica on his songs. I don't know if he's the one who plays it, but I really find it soothing. "Superstition" honestly could take off; it could be a hit.

None of the songs were unenjoyable, but the only one that stood out is Superstition.

The upbeat songs are great. The rest of the mellow stuff just doesn't hit for me. Great vocalist, just not my vibe and I'm not quite sure who it's for. Overlong songs and much repetition kills a number of these even further. Maybe Your Baby is so fun, but 2+ minutes at the end on repeat is miserable. Fav tracks: Superstition, Tuesday Heartbreak, Blame It On The Sun

This isn’t my favorite of Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Era”. There are a lot of songs that I have ambivalence towards. Maybe Your Baby meanders for too long, You and I feels a little blueprint for Stevie Wonder at this point in his career, and You’ve Got it Bad Girl just leaves me bored. But when the songs are good, they’re really good. The obvious being ‘Superstition’, which is widely played for a good reason. It stands out sonically and lyrically from the rest of the album and shows the direction that Stevie Wonder will go on with his future releases. This album’s sequencing isn’t the greatest and the album is very backloaded with all my favorites being on the B-side. Lookin For Another Pure Love (which you can tell Frank Ocean stole for numerous songs on Channel Orange), does better than what the A-Side should’ve accomplished. And I Believe is masterful and an excellent closer. Big Brother and Blame it On The Sun are my favorites on the album.

come classic songs included, but not my kind of music

Superstition is a great song, but I wasn’t fussed with the rest.

There is a couple on here that I already know and have listened to many times. Superstition is obviously a banger, it probably saved this from getting a lower score off me. A lot of the others were OK to listen to, however, did nothing for me. Was slightly disappointed by it overall Even Stevie can see this isn't his best album.  Luckily he has better to come

Really loved the 15 second intro to the first song. Perfect length. 5 star. The rest of the album was good but not great. Love Stevie Wonder and there are some bangers but it didn’t blow me away.

Great, but a little disconnected.

Stevie Wonder writes an amazing amount of boring music. A lot of his songs are just a lilty voice and some smooth jazz/funk that just meanders. This is contrasted by the devastating funk attack of Superstition, an indeniably incredible song. Maybe Your Baby also rocks while Blame It on the Sun and I Believe have some cool hooks, but never quite become a hit.

I was hoping for something groovier but I do appreciate Wonder’s creativity and passion heard and felt throughout this album.

Album 30% Titel ++: 1 / 6 + : 9 o : 7 / 8 / 10 - : 5 -- :

Mira, me sonaba el nombre pero no hacia relacion con la voz o el estilo de musica.

Listening to full albums from legendary artists is such a strange experience because there can be one or two amazing songs in a full album of otherwise forgettable songs and the album is still fantastic.

Rather uneven. Brilliant at times -- pedestrian at others.

Good vibe. Lots of the tracks didn't quite hit

Superstition y poco más relevante

Plage meg ikkje

Full of energy and good vibes

duplicate

Funky!

This was overall a solid album with excellent musicianship and production value. Very clean sounds. Some groovy tunes, but I didn't really find myself getting super sucked in or immersed into the music. Perhaps its not necessarily my preferred genre. I'd say solid, but not great.

I liked a couple songs a lot and several just a bit. Feels like an album I would like more with additional listens

Everybody loves Superstition. It’s an iconic, top 100 song of all time. I had no idea it was on an album full of songs so saccharine sweet I would need to see a dentist. I respect The hell out of Stevie Wonder but this album was headed for 2 stars even with Superstition but Big Brother and I Believe are good enough to give it one more star. That and You Are The Sunshine Of My Life takes me straight to the back seat of the station wagon headed to the grocery store. It’s sappy but it tickles my little kid nostalgia bone like few other songs do.

Obviously Superstition is the stand out track; the rest is not great. But Superstition though...

Very 90s male ballad vibes - great for a sleep afternoon/night at home and you want to feel slightly American? Interesting background compositions.

He really does have a great voice.

Step up from the last album, the single here is obviously absurdly good, and there are still plenty of other synthy soul tracks. B

l was able to listen to one song.....enjoyed; thank you.

Good easy listening soul. Not enough synthesizer.

Definitely ahead of its time. Good easy listening.

"Superstition" is an all-time great track, but it feels only tangentially related to the rest of the album, which has way too many slow moments.

funky grooves and fun piano sounds/synths make this an easy listen. The songs tend to drag a bit, but i still like it.

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. Pero es un rollo el disco.

This one surprised me a bit - I kinda associate Stevie Wonder with cheesy but I liked Maybe Your Baby and obviously Superstition is a bop.

Another good album for working and relaxing. However, didn’t like this one as much as the first.

It’s the one with superstition on it

3.5/5

Pretty solid sounds. Superstitious was the best song!

Pop mit Soul und etwas Schnulze, abwechslungsreich aber nicht so meins

1. 4/5 2. 3/5 3. 3/5 4. 3/5 5. 2.5/5 6. 5/5 7. 3.5/5 8. 3/5 9. 2.5/5 10. 3.5/5 = 3.3/5

Enjoyed where this started, enjoyed where it ended, didn’t love it overall as an album.

a funky lil' album; some good moments, like You and I, Big Brother and Superstition. maybe it takes a couple listens to really appreciate, because it's got the potential!

Ik zeg je alvast twee dingen: Je moet en zal alle albums van Stevie geluisterd hebben voor je doodgaat en de beste man leeft nog. Misschien poept 'ie er in de hem nog resterende jaren wel een honderdtal extra albums uit bovenop de kleine 300 die hij al heeft uitgebracht (en dan gaan we er nog vanuit dat Stevie gewoon sterfelijk is). Het is dus zaak tijdig te beginnen met het innemen van Stevie Wonder. In de nabije toekomst zal deze lijst voor minimaal 50% bestaan uit Stevie Wonder en is het eindelijk afgelopen met flutbands als Rage Against the Machine en Pink Floyd. Ik kreeg Stevie voor het eerst toegediend op 3 juli 2023. Ik kreeg toen zijn 18e studioalbum. Daarna kreeg ik gelukkig al snel zijn 17e. Ik had onlangs nog zijn 16e en toen sprak ik 's avonds hier in huis eigenlijk al hardop de hoop uit dat ik heel gauw ook het 15e studioalbum zou mogen luisteren. Gelukkig is het vandaag zo ver. Mik er een kwartje in (of zo'n winkelwagenmuntje, Stevie ziet het verschil toch niet) en de beste man blijft leeglopen. Laat de bandrecorder maar draaien en kijk maar of je er 2, 6 of 14 albums uit haalt. Alles is goud. Stevie is muziek en muziek is Stevie. Stevie is de Alfa en de Omega. Moet je nagaan dat we voor Stevie Wonder niet verder kwamen dan met stokken op holle boomstammen slaan. Stevie maakte ooit van wat restjes van de ark van Noach en een kruiwagen vol schapendarmen de allereerste piano en heeft daarmee muziek voorgoed veranderd. Van Beethoven tot en met de Beatles, van Saint-Saëns tot en met Skrillex: Dankzij Stevie bestaan ze of hebben ze bestaan. Stevie is de grondlegger van soul, de grondlegger van R&B, de grondlegger van hiphop, de grondlegger van post-punk, de grondlegger van jazz, de grondlegger van eurodance tot en met grindcore. De ster van Bethlehem hing boven die stal omdat Stevie Wonder hem hoogstpersoonlijk uit de hemel zong. Dankzij Stevie wisten de wijzen uit het Oosten waar ze moesten zijn met hun goud, wierrook en mirre. Alvast een zalig kerstfeest allemaal. Flikker op met deze debiele monarchie. Ik wil leven in een dictatuur waar Stevie het voor het zeggen heeft. Stevie deed ooit een niet-knipperen wedstrijd met de zon en Stevie won. Hij betaalde daarvoor wel een prijs inderdaad, maar Stevie hoeft niet te kunnen zien, want het enige wat het aanzien echt waard is, is Stevie zelf. Stevie kan sneeuwpoppen bouwen van regen. Stevie kan met één hand klappen. Stevie kan een draaideur dichtsmijten. Global warming bestaat enkel en alleen omdat Stevie heeft besloten dat het niet graag koud heeft. Dat gezegd hebbende: 3 sterren voor de hitjes.

Probably better than the other Stevie Wonder album but still not really my thing

Happy music , lots of funk 3/4****

za sada mi je on okej, kvalitetan, al nije mi nešta toliko dobro još uvijek

Good vibes, but never really grabbed me.

Stevie Wonder is a treasure, but he has better albums.

A fine album with some well-known songs and some pretty mediocre ones.

Of course he's an icon, but very few songs I'd consider putting back on. Nothing to fault here, though, just not for me.

meh, helt greit album med to bangers

A couple of great hits, but a lot of tracks are disappointments. A couple of favourites (besides the eternal hit superstition) are Tuesday Heartbreak and I believe.

Hard to go wrong with a bit of Stevie Wonder, but not his best work

Unfortunately I found a good bit of this to be filler. No doubting the man's supreme talent and a couple of bangers. Impossible to give any album with Superstition on less than a 3.

A lot of this is carried by Superstition. Feels wrong to give a three but if it wasn't for that I reckon it'd be a two.

This album is unexpectedly same-y and repetitive. Along with cliche lyrics. Stevie’s vocals, and Superstiton are great, but even Superstition gets a bit repetitive by the end. Most of the songs are meh. Some are just good. It’s ok, at least it isn’t terrible and boring.

I went in with high hopes knowing how much I love the track superstition, but I was slightly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, Wonder is a tremendous song writer, but I think this album just wasn’t quite for me, although it was good.

I listened to this once and that was kinda enough. I know some of these songs and I liked the album fine but I'm not really into soul music. Best I can do is $3.

Stevie wonder can sing, this feels way before it's time and is a soothing sounding album. I'm a big fan of his voice and the way it sounds. This album is good

Hit or miss. 3

If this wasn't a Stevie Wonder album, it would be pretty sub-par, but he brings a quality that can't be denied, so it gains an additional star.

"Superstition" earns this a few more stars, but this was saccharine laden pop otherwise. Not my cup of tea. Big fan of his other work, but this was too syrupy and poppy.

It’s an easy listen but I really wish there was more Superstition-like tracks instead of the love songs.

Pretty good.

Perfectly fine, couple of the tracks were quite powerful and moving but others were just filler in between them

Interesting album. Contains two of his most popular hits; 'Superstition' and 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life' which are undeniable bangers. The rest of the album doesn't reach those highs, and as I mentioned before I have a bit of a hard time relating to the religious theme of his songs. On the flip-side, the Clavinet and electric keyboard, which are some of my favourite sounds, are on almost every song and gives it a nice funky feeling. Still, going to have to settle with a strong 3.

Love the bass rift of Superstition, evening it is one of Stevies most radio aired tracks, I always enjoy it. Stevie is a fantastic singer, songwriter and musician, I can't think of a bad track he has ever released, although this album does have a few tracks that aren't overly interesting and miander on a bit longer than they needed to. All in all, not a bad album to chillax with on an evening, and I'm torn a bit on the rating, simply because it's Stevie and he did pump out brilliant albums later.

Two undeniable classics: Superstition and You Are the Sunshine of My Life. The rest is pretty mundane should music. Three stars.

Not Stevie's best but certainly has some of his greatest songs

Good listen

Stevie wonder has always had interesting ways of subverting musical norms , I find myself injoying that aspect of his music the most , from the unorthadox methods of using tension to extend otherwise common chord progressions to how he using interesting record arrangement, I enjoyed it , but somehow I dont enjoy it enough to go back for a second listen anytime soon.

Stevie Wonder has a lot to say. It's pretty clear. But his efforts to tell the story or just pass some emotions onto the listener are not tiring. Not to him, or to the person listening. He is very free musically and lyrically. 3.5/5.

Not my thing, but good

Some songs great, some songs just okay

Pretty good, Superstition is incredible, rest of the album nothing too exciting.

Got 3 excellent songs on it, but I found the other songs to be filler. "Superstition", "You are the sunshine of my life" and "I believe" being said bangers. I expected more from this album to be honest

Very mixed. some songs good, some not.

war okay, ganz nice. nicht das allerbeste der welt

Hab vibe am Anfang gefeiert aber overall nicht so mega gefühlt

The three-album strike that began with this one is just pure bliss. Intimate, melodic and joyful. (I don't like numeric ratings, I just give 3 to anyone)

Pretty good album with some funky jams broken up with slow melodies. I’m here for the funk and it really isn’t an album that I could recommend buying or chillin to. Stevie still the shit though. 3.5 but a 3.

A classic

Fav songs: You Are The Sunshine of My Life & I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

I do really like his keyboard playing. He's a very talented instrumentalist. His voice isn't incredible, but it is perfect for this genre. A lot of true bops on this album. You Are the Sunshine of my Life. Maybe Your Baby. You And I. Superstition. The songs that aren't bops, though, are really losing me. The last few songs on the album are snooze-fests. Except the ending section of I Believe (When I Fall...)

Superstition slaps

Good, but not great. Stevie Wonder has made better albums.

Stevie clearly hitting his stride. Superstition stands out. Kinda timeless. Some fat basslines.

Disappointed. I thought this would be better. Outside of the hits it’s not my thing

Superstition still a classic - rest of album not bad, lots of backing vocalists on other tracks. Interesting read about Stevie W starting music on label at 12-13. 2.5/5. still listened 2x

Mixed feelings on this album - that's my ususal problem with Stevie. here are some songs on it, which I absolutely adore - usually the more upbeat funky ones. But those kitschy love songs just don't do it for me at all

Yeah it's pretty good, I kinda want to give it 4 stars but I don't see myself listening to it again so 3 it is. Very groovy at times and emotional attitudes others.

First album. Haven't have a lot of time to listen to it. Surprised to find Superstition on my first album, so that was kinda fun. Maybe Your Baby is a bit too slow for my tastes. I liked how upbeat You Are The Sunshine Of My Life is. I liked Superstition (obviously) and I Believe. Nothing in this album sticks out to me in particular. I think I like the rhythm section of the songs, the guitars/bass/drums. But I don't like the singing. Also some songs sound weirdly, dissonant? Like the chords make sense but they sound wrong? Like some sort of intentional off pitch. This is one of those albums that is a bit too outside of my comfort zone to enjoy it. I guess I'll need to start getting used to this soon! On a second listen, a lot of the songs are pretty interesting. I'll give another chance to this album another day, not at midnight.

obviously not bad songs but i just don’t think i love stevie wonder. i did like Blame it on the Sun though

The arrangements and Stevie’s legendary voice save this album from being just another pop/R&B album from the 70s. All in all, many tracks here are pretty forgettable outside Sunshine, Superstition and the closer, I Believe, which has a very fun, almost psychedelic feel near the end.

Not my favorite work from this acclaimed author despite the presence of a few killer chapters.

nothing wrong with it. it's boring to me and I hate the album art.

Superstition is a great song but most of the others felt a bit bland

very enjoyable - great singing, great songwriting, amazing instrumentation maybe esp drums. A lot of these songs were too long by half haha.

A few classics, interesting that a lot of songs didn't have a definitive finish but instead trailed off at the end.

not my genre

Deep cut for me, excellent tunes. But should spend more time with it.

classic for a reason. kinda drags near the beginning but picks up halfway through

No real impact

Lovely voice but most of this felt a bit samey, and not really my cup of tea. Sorry Stevie!

Decent bops. Best song for me is Maybe Your Baby, other than Superstition which everyone has heard a million times

I know I should give this record 4 stars. It probably deserves it. But so much of this album put me to sleep! Slow and long just how Stevie likes it. Also that harmonica makes every song sound like Sesame Street. Sorry Stevie heads.

Solid album. Superstition is a prefect 11/10.

3.5 - Added .5 for a few songs

Three standouts (I Believe, Superstition, Maybe Your Baby), one cliche' (You Are the Sunshine of My Life), and a lot of middling, syrupy songs. I love Stevie's songwriting, but sometimes the delivery is too much schmaltz for my taste.

Maybe Your Baby done made some other plans. And by the time you got done repeating that line, she came back from those plans, got changed for bed, and went to sleep. This is funky but it is too indulgent and lacks either variety or focus that I really want from him.

High highs, but low lows.

Luv Stevie but could’ve died without listening to this one

Remember it well

Strong opening track - you ARE the sunshine of my life - then we go a bit funky and crack out some strong guitar moves.

Tiene 'Superstition' una tremenda canción de la historia de la vida y alguna que otra cosita. Es mejor que el anterior de Wonder que me habían mandado.

uhhh honestly i didn't care for this one as much as fulfillingness' first finale, despite knowing nothing on that album. superstition is the only standout on this album to me, and the rest didn't make any impression. sorry stevie. favorites: superstition

Enjoyed it, but a lot of it didn’t grab me

Superstition is awesome but the rest doesn't do it for me. Also, Stevie Wonder ain't blind.

Two songs I enjoyed.

This was a lot better than any stones I've heard before

Not exactly my type of music but still I listened to everything.

Krachtige nummers als Maybe Your Bavy wisselen af met weinig indrukwekkende softe nummers. Een uitmiddeling: 3 sterren.

Vrij rustige soulvolle plaat met wat funky uitstapjes. Het is gelukkig niet zo tranentrekkend als zijn 80s albums met zaaddodende nummers als "I just called to say I love you". Dit bevalt me een stuk beter, al zijn de uptempo funky nummers meer mijn smaak dan de ballads.

3/5 Best: I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever) Worst: You and I

Its perfectly fine, overly happy but still good stuff, not in best moods when listening so might reflect in score

Very mixed feeling. 'I believe' was nice& funky as is 'Superstition' of course but some songs are as sweet as candy and too much too swallow, like 'You and I'. Can hear he is a genius. Let give it an average, 3.

Ok

Brilliance and schmaltz, as ever - not one of my favourites from his period of magic, but still pretty good

Great moments and moments that drag. Superstition is a banger.

'Superstition' is an absolute classic, 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life' is also a good song. The other tracks didn't really grab me. 3/5

This was pretty cheesy, but I was in a good mood at the time. Or was it this album that put me in a good mood? We will never know.

A couple of good songs here. Superstition is funky and driving and dynamic but a lot of the album is anodyne, cloying and a bit too saccharine. If this was really a talking book it would be by Jojo Moyes.

I haven't listened to this since college, so it was fun revisiting it today. Still, I can hear why this hasn't been in constant rotation since then. Although I enjoy the space-age sounds, Stevie's lyrics leave a lot to be desired. And, Superstition and Sunshine of My Life aside, the rest of the songs are pleasant but not memorable. I did love Maybe Your Baby, but it went on too long. Overall, solid stuff, though not the masterpiece I thought it was when I was 20. Of course, Superstition is one of my favorite songs ever, so there's that.

Less ballads more bangers please

A nice soul/funk album by Stevie Wonder. If he is great then he is really a genius, though some of the songs are too sugary/cheesy for my taste. It's a 3.5 so I'll stick with 3.

Pacing issues and inconsistency in quality threaten to derail this near-great experience of Stevie truly speaking his heart. There are killer singles. the strongest writing on any of his records and a beautiful closer, though sadly his album cuts aren't as instantly enjoyable, and the instrumentation not as exciting as it would be on subsequent albums. A decent record.

I’m not a massive Stevie Wonder fan, but this was quite pleasant.

Not for me, but it sounds good

The album sounds great but some of the songs are unnecessarily drawn out and get repetitive; For Example, "Maybe Your Baby", and I Believe. Other than that, the instrumentals are great and the vocals are aswell

Fun album I can see why people like it. Now I’m Ngl there’s bias is this review because o know this man’s secrets okay I know what the fuck he’s been doing