Songs In The Key Of Life (studio album) by Stevie Wonder

Lovely album, but a little bit too bloated. Album as a whole and a few of the songs could be a little bit shorter. Best tracks are Isn't She Lovely, I Wish, Black Man, Pastime Paradise, Sir Duke

This was one of the magic four Stevie Wonder albums that most critics regard as soul classics. Others will prefer "Innervisions", "First Finale" or "Talking Book" but, for my money, this magical double album tops the lot and is, indisputably, my own favourite album of all.

A brilliantly composed album from Stevie Wonder that leaves a lasting impression on everyone who hears it. There is something for everyone to love on here with there being a great range of song styles that are all performed to a high level. Some are more infectious and accessible than others with the likes of Sir Duke and I Wish getting instantly stuck in my head when I first heard this release. He also has some more progressive songs which are similar to Living For The City on Innervisions as they are given time to build up and have some truly outstanding moments that are really rewarding due to the time given to the songs. His musicianship is phenomenal across the whole release on here as well with some brilliant instrumental performances from both Stevie and a few members of his ensemble. His song writing is genius once again and is well worth exploring when revisiting the record multiple times and his voice is simply sensational. I do think there is a reasonable amount of filler on here that could be cut however with a few songs feeling insignificant. Overall, an extremely strong release from Stevie Wonder that is just slightly weaker than Innervisions for me but is still an elite record.

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Brilliant, mindful compositions that never fail to feel fresh upon re-listen.

Great groovy, funky album with awesome lyrics almost all the time. My favorites are: Village Ghetto Land, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Ordinary Pain, Isn't She Lovely, As and Another Star.

i am in an eternal battle of what i like more, this one or Innervisions jajaja

From AAL2014 01/25/2022 01:58

WOO! TOP 100!!! Long overdue. Keep climbing Stevie!

This site overrates white artists and underrates Black artists and this album being outside the top 100 illustrates that.

The musicianship is basically flawless. It’s jazz chops married to pop sensibility.

There were a couple of songs (Summer Soft, Joy Inside My Tears) that give a first impression of being slow and sappy. Even they find a killer groove before long. Also, there’s a sense of optimism tucked into this album, despite several of the songs reporting on the pain and broken nature of this world.

For me, the album’s a bit too long. I Am Singing and If It’s Magic could be chopped to make this a crisper album.