Songs in the Key of Life

It's sad that Stevie Wonder is best known and will be remembered by most for his ballads ala the schticky "I Just Called To Say I Loved You." This album confirms his genius and echoes strangely enough for me - The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album. Songs like "Village Ghetto Land" reflect a storytelling aspect.

Like many artists of the seventies, Stevie was pretty progressive on this one. Some serious music here crossing a wide range of styles.

WHO IS THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? BARACK OBAMA- A BLACK MAN!!!!

Who would have thought that 32 years after this album's release that we would see a black man as President?

While it is certainly stating the obvious that this album is clearly a masterpiece of accomplishment, there is one song that I feel may be too often overlooked. The song "If it's Magic" is to my ears, one of the most beautifully sung and heartfelt performances of the 20 century. I have recently reintroduced myself to "songs", and while like many double Lps there is fat on the plate, the strong tunes well out way the weaker ones. This disc will be listened to a hundred years from now as a reference to that century, and hopefully many to come!

It's a world unto itself. A world of possibilities, of ideas, of dreams and of intimations. It's a world of music, and at times it's a better world than ours. Songs In The Key Of Life is Stevie Wonder's genius in full bloom and on display, in all its ambition and single-mindedness and multifaceted exuberance. Despite the fact that it's absolutely sprawling (in the days of vinyl, it was spread across two full-length LPs and a bonus EP), it has a kind of unity and internal logic that's so strong that even the record's weaker songs seem absolutely necessary. The best songs, meanwhile, are just plain incredible. "I Wish" is a rattled funk monster, and "Village Ghetto Land" is a bitterly ironic piece of social commentary. "Sir Duke" is an ecstatic tribute to Mr. Ellington, and "Contusion" is a ripping slab of jazzy prog-funk. And then you've got the stark, spooky melodicism of "Summer Soft," and the rapturous "Joy Inside My Tears." "Have A Talk With God" expresses personal faith without being preachy, and "Knocks Me Off Of My Feet" professes helpless love without sounding corny. What else? Well, there's "Isn't She Lovely," which is jut fantastic (even though it could stand to be a couple of minutes shorter). And then there's that flawlessly cosmic paean to universal love, "As." And a lot of other great stuff. Like "Black Man." And "Ordinary Pain." And "Saturn." And... oh, just buy the darned thing already!

Love this cd. Remember hearing it when I was a kid. Although the release is older than I am. The seller delivered the cd on time and I will purchase from seller in hthe future.