Something Good: Liked the really heavy percussion hits. Very 80s.
Something Bad: Eh nothing stands out in a bad way, but nothing really in a good way.
Best song: Come to My Aid
This is just a guy singing by a campfire making up lyrics as he goes. And, like, he's pretty good at it as campfire singers go, but there's a reason why people don't line up to see the one guy at a frat party who brings an acoustic guitar.
I don't like Bob Dylan.
A palatable listen - I can see why people like this but I don't think it's necessarily for me. I like the droning in the background that seems to be omnipresent. And I like how the voice seems intentionally unpolished. Loses points because it lacks musical complexity, and a lot of the songs sound similar.
Best song: Heroin
First 5 star rating and well deserved. Classic after classic on this album. It’s overplayed but only because it should be. I’ll listen to this one many more times.
Best song: Stairway to Heaven
Cool sound but just way too long and repetitive. If you’re not experiencing live jazz live then it loses a lot of luster.
Fun listen. Love the book of sounds they used, especially the harmonica in the beginning. A little cheesy but in an endearing way.
Starts off really strong, but at the end I realized how similarly a lot of the songs sounded. With the cool intro to Foreplay/Long Time, I had a hope that we could get some more "out there" stuff - but by the end I was left wanting a bit more.
All in al, though, 4 or 5 songs on this album that I would describe as "classics". Great listen, just hoped for a bit more variability.
What a great voice! Joan brings the funk when we need it but also can hold back and sing with soul and emotion. Great listen that I will come back to
After the first 2 songs I was excited for the rest of the album to begin. With 2 songs left I was excited for the album to be over. He's got a great voice but the songs all blended together. Very “cruiseship-core”Won't be returning to this one.
Well, well, well, if it isn't the best album of all time. What can I say about this album? Simply incomparable. Stevie Wonder keeps every single song on this album unique.
Love's in Need of Love Today - Listening to this, especially the intro, is like landing in a soft, grassy meadow. Easy to get stuck in your head.
Have a Talk with God - So many bits and bobbles to this track! All of the background auxiliary percussion, the background singers, harmonica flourishes? A joy to listen to.
Village Ghetto Land - A jarring difference between the pompness of the "strings" in the background and the sad, stark lyrics. Love the use of the synth in this track and the lack of reverb. Emotions come through on this track.
Contusion - Fuck yeah. If I could give a gripe with this album, it's that there's not more jazz fusion tracks like this. Because it fuckin' rocks.
Sir Duke - One of my very first favorite songs. When I learned trumpet, this was the first some I wanted to learn. When I bought a bass, this was the first song I wanted to learn. The shout chorus is an all-timer, and the chord movement in the chorus is a thing of beauty. If I have to pick a favorite track on this album, it might have to be this one.
I Wish - The bass line is elite. The brass thrown in the track and the drum fills and Stevie's screaming in the end is infectious.
Knocks Me Off My Feet - If I'm honest, Stevie's slow songs very rarely do much for me. But the soul definitely comes through, the chords and their crunchy upper extensions are satisfying, and the KEY CHANGE? That's delicious, delectable even. Second half of the song really brings it home.
Pastime Paradise - Wow, I can't believe Stevie ripped off Weird Al's "Amish Paradise". Honestly this one isn't totally my jam but also...you know...what influence this had on music.
Summer Soft - At first you think this one is going to be overly saccharine, but then when you get to the chorus? We start to bring the funk with the bass and the drums. And remember the key change from Knocks Me Off My Feet? How about a few more of those puppies? Yum.
Ordinary Pain - A lot like Summer Soft, in a way. At first you worry it's gonna be too sweet and corny, and then Stevie goes into another mode and it transforms the track into something that kind of hits you in the gut. Does it drag on too much at the end? No - it's fun to listen to all the way to the fade out.
Isn't She Lovely - Another one of my favorites on the album. I think I've listened to this one enough where I can, and will at every opportunity, whistle the entire harmonica solo at the end.
Joy Inside my Tears - OK I'll be honest - every album has a dud. Too slow and saccharine for my taste.
Black Man - This song just makes me want to strut. Just so much funk from beginning to end, love the synthy horn punches in the background. If anyone thinks the end goes on too long, I will disagree wholeheartedly, because the beat is just so good. My only complaint is they don't name MORE black men at the end!
Ngiculela - This has become a favorite for me to sing in the shower. Great chords and upper extensions, and a great book of sounds used in this song. And a great song to show off Stevie's voice.
If It's Magic - In the lower tier of songs on the album, and yet it's still phenomenal. The use of harp makes it unique from the other tracks, and the reverbs harmonicas in the end wrap it up in a bow.
As - Anytime Stevie gets gravelly with his voice, it's an instant classic - gives me chills every time. Love when he vamps with the constant force of the background singers holding it down.
Another Star - The drums and horns almost give this a Copacabana feel, and then the jazz flute? Magnifique. We need more jazz flute in our life.
Saturn - Love the triumphant vibes of this track, I feel like I am in an 80s movie and I just feel in love while winning a sports game or something.
Ebony Eyes - Of all the songs on the album, this is definitely on the simpler side. And yet, it's just such a fun listen. Easy on the ears, a fun talkbox solo, easy chords that tickle the brain, just a great one.
All Day Sucker - Has the "tough" energy of "Higher Ground", but not as good as Higher Ground. A good listen, but another that doesn't stand out from the crowd. Certainly unique though!
Easy Goin' Evening - ...we do unfortunately end my favorite album of all time with a whimper instead of a bang - I think this one just seemed like filler and could've been kept off. But...after 1:40 of hit after hit, I'll allow a miss.
So, all this being said - it's all downhill from here, unless I can be proven otherwise. Thanks Stevie for an all-time unmatched masterpiece.
Not really my thing. I appreciate Lorde’s haunting voice but I didn’t necessarily enjoy it or the album as a whole.
I think Neil Young wrote an album that his voice was not compatible with. His voice is almost too meek to keep up with the intense orchestral tracks. That said, it wasn’t bad, and I can appreciate the stark difference. Just wish this album had a different singer.
I didn’t think I would enjoy a blues album as much as this. Typically they get boring after a few songs but this kept me interested the whole time.
I’ll be honest I listened to two songs and then got distracted elsewhere
Fairly unmemorable to me, though I did particularly enjoy the last track.
I appreciated the novelty of it but that’s about it - a bit too aggressive for my tastes.
Good, but lacked the hits of other Led Zeppelin albums. Still overall love the sound, and the haunting nature of Robert Plant’s voice. And Kashmir is an all timer, of course.
Didn't think I would enjoy this nearly as much as I did! Strong voice and catchy tunes. A bit long for my linking but still an enjoyable listen.
The songs I knew I still liked, and the new songs were decent to good. Kind of one note, but a good note at that. It's not the most exciting album I've heard but I think it was pretty solid.
Meh. Not much to say about this album good or bad. Just no aspirations to listen to this again.
Good song list! Loved the sounds of the first track vis a vis the title of the track. Might not flock back to this one but there was a lot I enjoyed and little that I disliked.
Maximum cheese factor…and yet it’s just so much fun to listen to! Everything is turned up to 11 in the best way - will definitely return to this one on a rainy day :)
Won't return to this one - not terrible but just not inspired to listen to it again.
Another Stevie album and another 5/5 - Living for the City is an all-time great, and its supporting cast on this album elevate. Crazy that Stevie wrote this album at 24.
I didn't NOT enjoy listening to this. But the first track made me think it was going to be a lot more ethereal than the rest of the album was. With little exception (shoutout Knights of Cydonia and Guitar Hero 3), the tracks were mostly forgettable.
I enjoyed the composition of the album, with the spoken interludes, and I enjoyed the realness of the album. But I don’t think it would stand up on its own with out the interludes, and the songs themselves were largely bland.
I think it says a lot that there are no songs on this album that are longer than 3 minutes long. This album sounds like they just pressed record, played for on average 90 seconds, and then moved on to the next one. I cannot find anything good to say about this album, but I wish the band success at their high school's upcoming Battle of the Bands.
Well it was a breath of fresh air from yesterday, but I was hoping to get more out of it than I did. I appreciated that there were peaks and valleys to the album but it just a didn’t have the X factor I was looking for.
Didn’t listen to all of it to be honest.
Hell yeah some proper funk. One of the coolest voices out there, with some good horns to boot. Very fun listen, will return!
Great background music. Not great foreground music.
