Stevie Wonder

Talking Book is another Stevie Wonder album that made its mark in 1972 and whose influence hasn't stopped since. Effortless, finely honed songwriting, hints of psychedelia and solid funk resulted in gems like "Superstition," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and "Lookin' for Another Pure Love." There isn't a rock in the bunch; every song is a gem.

Stevie Wonder's second album this year is in many ways a reprise with variations of the
first, Music of My Mind. Both are ambitious, richly-textured, almost entirely the work of
Wonder himself, who produced (with assistance, primarily on the Moog work, from
Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff), composed the music and all but a few of the lyrics,
plays the bulk of the instrumental tracks (aided here and there on Talking Book... More >

The artist breaks through and takes control, though not in that order. Suddenly he's writing better ballads than he used to choose, and not at any sacrifice of his endearing natural bathos (if you have doubts about "Sunshine of My Life," try "Blame It on the Sun"). "Maybe Your Baby" and "Big Brother" continue his wild multi-voice experiments but come in out of left field. And "Superstition" translates his way of knowledge into hard-headed, hard-rocking political analysis. (Grade - A)