What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Black Orpheus -- Remastered CD

Ray Brown Trio

1994 Evidence Records

Whether accompanying or leading a band, bassist Ray Brown was long among jazz's greatest players. These cuts, mostly from 1989 escept for two numbers done in 1991, feature Brown backing soulful pianist Gene Harris and steady drummer Jeff Hamilton on a program combining Afro-Latin material with standards from Johnny Mercer, Fats Waller and others, as well as an excellent rendition of Percy Mayfield's blues/R&B standard "Please Send Me Someone to Love." The songs are long enough to display each musician's skills, but not so lengthy that they become repetitious. It's a well-played, delightful example of the kind of high-powered material that was Ray Brown's stock-in-trade. ~ Ron Wynn

Album Tracks

1. The Days Of Wine And Roses
2. I Thought About You
3. Black Orpheus (Manha de Carnaval)
4. How Insensitive
5. My Foolish Heart
6. Please Send Me Someone To Love
7. Ain't Misbehavin'
8. When You Wish Upon A Star
9. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Ray Brown Trio: Ray Brown (bass); Gene Harris (piano); Jeff Hamilton (drums).Recorded live at Good Day Club, Tokyo, Japan on May 23, 1989 and February 7, 1991. Includes liner notes by Zan Stewart.Digitally remastered by Ed Vanlandegham.

 

[Dennie]

Double Feature -- CD

Special EFX

1988 GRP Records

Special EFX's Best March 15, 2005
By K. Haynes
Format:Audio CD

This CD absolutely needs to be re-released. It is the best CD that Special Efx put out. Many albums have 3-4 great songs at the beginning of the CD and then peter out after that -- not this CD.

Double Feature starts with a smooth opener "The Lady and The Sea," then picks up the intensity some with the intricate "Jamaica, Jamaica" (with lots of wooden blocks from George Jinda), and continues with some songs featuring vocals (smooth scat singing) from Bemshi and others.

My favorite song is the smokey, hazy "Mirrors" with some of Chieli's best, intricate guitar playing. "Search For a Rainbow" could have come from the previous "Mystique" CD, a slow-building burner from Jinda, with Cheili's e-bow echo guitar floating above.

Double Feature then saves two of it's strongest cuts for the last part of the CD. "Thy Kingdom Come" and "Northern Lights" are both high intensity guitar-fests, with layers of acoustic, classical and electric guitars. Cheili does not cut either song short, but lets them both build and progress, taking the listener higher and higher before slowly returning them softly to earth.

Only "Oasis," the last cut, is an optional listen, with some quirky, statcatto guitar and percussion that doesn't quite seem to finish the CD smoothly. But it doesn't detract from the sheer brilliance and musicianship of the rest of this great CD.

It is absolutely Special Efx's best!

01. The Lady and the Sea
02. Jamaica, Jamaica
03. Passages
04. Golden Days
05. Sunflower
06. Mirrors
07. Just A Little Time
08. Search for a Rainbow
09. Thy Kingdom Come
10. Northern Light
11. Oasis

Chieli Minucci (electric and acoustic guitars, guitar synth, tape loops, drum programming), George Jinda (percussion, bells, brazilian tambourine, cowbells, bongos, crotales, cymbals, woodblocks, samba whistle, birdcalls, cuica), Omar Hakim & Dave Weckl (drums), Mark Egan (bass), Robbie Kondor & Michael Bearden (keyboards), Szakcsi (acoustic grand piano), Bemshi (vocals)

 

[Dennie]

Fast Forward -- CD

Spyro Gyra featuring Jay Beckinstein

1990 MCA/GRP Records

A review of Spyro Gyra's Fast Forward. April 28, 2003
By James Houser
Format:Audio CD

Fast Forward is a very good Spyro Gyra album. It was released in 1990. This cd would rank in my top 6 favorite Spyro Gyra albums of all time. All 10 songs have great beats and are great Spyro Gyra playing.

My top 3 favorite tracks off of this cd would probably be 1,5, and 7. Bright Lights is a nice song with great playing by Dave and a good organizational manner to it. Speak Easy is a classic Spyro Gyra song, and has a mysterious type of feel to it. 4MD is also another one of their best songs off of this album. It means for Miles Davis. All of the songs on here are terrific early 90's Spyro Gyra. It also has a nice vocal part in the tenth song.

Fast Forward is a nice, somewhat forgotten Spyro Gyra cd. It is well worth the buy, seeming of how it can be hard to find sometimes. Thank you for taking the time and generosity to read my review.

Track Listing
1. Bright Lights
2. Para Ti Latino
3. Alexandra
4. Ocean Parkway
5. Speak Easy
6. Futurephobia
7. 4MD
8. Shadow Play
9. Escape Hatch
10. Tower of Babel

Personnel: David Broza (vocals, guitar); Jay Azzolina (guitar); Larry Swist (recorder); Jay Beckenstein (saxophone); Scott Kreitzer (tenor saxophone); Barry Danielian (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jeff Beal (trumpet); Randy Andos (trombone, bass trombone); Tom Schuman (keyboards); Dave Samuels (synthesizer, vibraphone, marimba, percussion); Richie Morales (drums); Marc Qui€ones (percussion).Audio Mixer: Larry Swist.Recording information: Bear Tracks Studio, Suffern, NY.Photographer: Paul DInnocenzo.Arrangers: Jeff Beal; Barry Danielian.Spyro Gyra's first album for MCA after their longtime label, GRP-Crescendo, was absorbed into its corporate parent, 1990's Fast Forward carries the curious band subtitle "featuring Jay Beckenstein."

 

[Dennie]

Plays For Lovers -- Remastered CD

Blue Mitchell

2003 Riverside/Fantasy Records

In the '60s, Prestige launched its Plays for Lovers series with LPs by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and others. The concept was jazz as romantic mood music -- collections of previously released material that are dominated by ballads and emphasize a player's more lyrical side. Fantasy has long since acquired the Prestige catalog, and in the 2000s, it helped keep the Plays for Lovers concept alive -- not only with Prestige recordings, but also with recordings from the Fantasy-owned catalogs of Riverside, Contemporary, and other labels. The Blue Mitchell Plays for Lovers collection, in fact, doesn't contain a single Prestige recording; all of the material originally came out on Riverside. In 2003, the late Mitchell was an obvious choice for a Plays for Lovers release because the Clifford Brown-influenced trumpeter was, quite simply, a superb ballad player. He had no problem swinging aggressively at a fast tempo, but he was equally skillful when it came to ballads -- a fact that is obvious on Blue Mitchell Plays for Lovers, which spans 1958-1962 and finds him playing quite soulfully on "I Can't Get Started," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," and other famous Tin Pan Alley standards. Not everything on the 61-minute CD is a ballad; Cedar Walton's "Turquoise" is a moody, dusky post-bop offering that is played at a medium tempo. The tune's appealing melody bears a slight resemblance to the standard "You Don't Know What Love Is," and even though "Turquoise" is faster than any of the other selections, it doesn't really disrupt the overall mood and ambiance -- it's a momentary diversion but not an outright disruption. Besides, the Plays for Lovers series was meant to be ballad-heavy but not ballad-exclusive; being dominated by ballads isn't the same as excluding medium-tempo material altogether. And when all is said and done, Blue Mitchell Plays for Lovers lives up its title. ~ Alex Henderson

Track Listing
1. The Nearness of You
2. When I Fall in Love
3. Why Do I Love You?
4. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
5. But Beautiful
6. I Can't Get Started
7. There Will Never Be Another You
8. How Deep Is the Ocean?
9. I'm a Fool to Want You
10. Turquoise
11. Missing You
12. For All We Know
13. Peace

Personnel: Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Harry Lookofsky (strings); Jerome Richardson (alto saxophone); Jimmy Heath, Johnny Griffin, Junior Cook, Benny Golson (tenor saxophone); Clark Terry, Bernie Glow, Burt Collins (trumpet); Julius Watkins, Willie Ruff (French horn); Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cleveland, Julian Priester, Urbie Green, Britt Woodman (trombone); Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly, Cedar Walton (piano); Albert "Tootie" Heath, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Brooks, Art Blakey, Charlie Persip (drums).Audio Remasterer: Joe Tarantino.Liner Note Author: Zan Stewart.Recording information: Plaza Sound Studios, New York, NY (07/02/1958-08/30/1962); Reeves Sound Studios, New York, NY (07/02/1958-08/30/1962).Arrangers: Jimmy Heath; Tadd Dameron; Benny Golson.

 

[Dennie]

I recently acquired this gem.... :bow-blue:

Meddle -- 24k Gold OMR CD

Pink Floyd

1971 MFSL

MEDDLE was the first album to hint at the musical identity that would define Pink Floyd in the mid- to late-'70s. Whereas prior releases like UMMAGUMMA and ATOM HEART MOTHER announced the presence of new singer/guitarist/songwriter David Gilmour, MEDDLE represents the band's Gilmour-influenced evolution toward a sleek, epic, spacey sound. In "Echoes," an ambitious 23-minute soundscape, the pinging of a synthesizer greets the listener before Gilmour's warm, open guitar and gentle crooning gives way to a repetitious, workmanlike rhythm. From here, the music fades into an abyss of whale calls and eerie sonic reverberations.Elsewhere, Floyd dabbles with straightforward cocktail-hour jazz ("San Tropez") and a twisted slow blues ("Seamus"). But it is "One of These Days," MEDDLE's opening track and lone radio staple, that truly previews things to come. Roger Waters's bass, played through a Binson echo unit, establishes the song's manically hypnotic groove, as Richard Wright's synthesizer bursts in and out, Nick Mason's off-kilter drum fills get tossed around, and Gilmour's guitar dive-bombs through it all. These varied sound effects, packaged in a song that clocked in at less than six minutes, were a precedent for the masterpiece that was two years away: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.

Side one
No. Title Music Lead vocals Length
1. "One of These Days" Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour Instrumental[nb 4] 5:57
2. "A Pillow of Winds" Waters, Gilmour Gilmour 5:10
3. "Fearless" (including "You'll Never Walk Alone") Waters, Gilmour (including Rodgers, Hammerstein II) Gilmour 6:08
4. "San Tropez" Waters Waters 3:43
5. "Seamus" Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour Gilmour 2:16
Side two
No. Title Music Lead vocals Length
1. "Echoes" Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour Gilmour and Wright 23:29

 

[Dennie]

Lifted: Songs of the Spirit -- CD

Various Artists

2002 Hear Music

Fabulous! Uplifting! March 5, 2008
By B. Lippincott

Was in Starbucks a while back and saw this CD. A quick scan of the contents and I "had to have it"... My awakenings to more "modern" gospel music is only a few years old. (Formerly, I was mainly familiar with "traditional" hymns and "old time" gospel songs - like "Amazing Grace: (which is still perhaps the best gospel song ever - )... Anyway, I was surprised by the wide selection of material on this CD.

Alison Krauss has to have one of the more beautiful voices around. The Chambers Brothers classic "People Get Ready" reminded me of my younger days and was one of the few religious songs that somehow made it into the top 40. If you've never heard the Blind Boys of Alabama, this is a treat. They've been performing gospel for longer than I've been walking this earth. Their new cd is fabulous Down in New Orleans. Check that out too. Rufus Wainwright's version of "Hallelujah" is amazing. And that's just a few of the songs on this CD.

Get it. Pop it in the CD player. You'll be "Lifted" in your spirit.

1. Abide With Me - Thelonious Monk Septet
2. In The Palm Of Your Hand - Alison Krauss
3. People Get Ready - The Chambers Brothers
4. The Long Day Is Over - Norah Jones
5. Listen To The Shepherd - Ralph Stanley
6. Freedom Road - The Blind Boys Of Alabama
7. Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
8. Roll Jordan Roll - The Fairfield Four
9. Weeping Mary - Word of Mouth Chorus
10. Strength, Power And Love - The Soul Stirrers
11. Amazing Grace - The Swan Silvertones
12. Orphan Girl - Gillian Welch
13. None Of Us Are Free - Solomon Burke
14. Didn't It Rain - Mahalia Jackson
15. Joy To The World - Pastor Patrinell Wright

 

[Dennie]

Freedom Highway -- Remastered CD

The Staple Singers

1991 Columbia/Legacy

In soulfulness, nuance, and the power and feeling in the performances, these classics equal anything else in the Staple catalogue.The vibe here is extremely laid back, with a weary-soul feel that brings to mind late-period Sly Stone. Pop Staples's groovy, slightly countrified guitar leads the family through soulful takes on favorites like "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and spirited numbers like the title track.The R&B and funk influences that would dominate the group's chart-busting Stax tenure in the 1970s are evident here, but feel even more incisive when paired with a sanctified message. Listeners searching for the Staple Singers' 1965 Epic release entitled FREEDOM HIGHWAY should be forewarned that the 1991 reissue on Legacy includes only two tracks from original LP (the rest are from Epic sessions from the same time period).

Track Listing
1. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
2. Move Along Train
3. Are You Sure
4. Wade in the Water
5. If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again
6. Glory, Hallelujah! Glory
7. The Lord's Prayer
8. Jacob's Ladder
9. Why? (Am I Treated So Bad)
10. Praying Time
11. For What It's Worth
12. Hammer and Nails
13. Freedom Highway
14. What You Gonna Do?
15. Samson and Delilah
16. Nobody's Fault But Mine
17. Be Careful of Stones That You Throw
18. This Train

 

[Dennie]

Jazz For A Lazy Day -- CD

Various Artists

1999 32 Jazz Records

Amazon.com

Ahhh, here comes another 32 Jazz compilation, designed to put you in the proper frame of mind. What's that, you ask? Well, how 'bout just being cool? This batch of midtempo cookers, accompanied by the priceless je ne sais quoi liners from 32 Jazz mastermind Joel Dorn, will put you in the right mood. The sensuous tenor sax of Houston Person is featured on Ellington's "Daydream" (along with trombonist Curtis Fuller) and on a marvelous duet rendition of Sonny Rollins's "Blue Seven" with bassist Ron Carter. Cuts by Sonny Stitt, Wallace Roney, Donald Byrd, and other stellar horn players cruise along similarly at a relaxed, classic jazz pace and should add a little zip to your lazy afternoon. Who knows, you might even perk up enough to do a little soft-shoe shuffle. --Wally Shoup

Track Listings
1. Blue Monk - Hank Jones
2. Monk's Dream - Ralph Moore
3. Chelsea Bridge - Ricky Ford
4. Walkin' - Sonny Stitt
5. Alone Together - Wallace Roney
6. Blue Seven - Houston Person/Ron Carter
7. Fly Me To The Moon - Russell Gunn
8. Daydream - Houston Person
9. Alter Ego - Donald Byrd

 

[Dennie]

The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield -- CD

Curtis Mayfield

1997 Rhino Records

Timeless and perfect., June 29, 2002
By Gracejoy "gracejoy7" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Very Best of (Curtis Mayfield) (Audio CD)

Curtis Mayfield was a musical genius and this CD is a testament to his amazing ability to create powerful, engaging, funky, soulful, moving music. Mayfield is clearly the master of funk and his falsetto vocals are the baddest of bad. I have too many favorite tracks to pick just one, but I will say that "Freddie's Dead" and "Kung Fu" are alone worth the price of this CD. Most of the songs address some kind of moral or social issue and the lyrics are genuinely thought-provoking, not cliched. Some of the songs beg you to get up and dance, while others are meant for closing your eyes and just soaking it in. All of it is GREAT.

This is one of my favorite CDs of all time. If you are even remotely curious about Curtis Mayfield or funk music in general, you have to have this CD. It doesn't get any better than this.

“(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go”
“The Makings of You”
“Move on Up”
“Get Down”
“We Got to Have Peace”
“Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)”
“Superfly”
“Pusherman”
“Future Shock”
“Can't Say Nothin'”
“Kung Fu”
“So In Love”
“Only You Babe”
“Do Do Wap is Strong in Here”
“Between You Baby and Me”
“Do Be Down”

 

[Dennie]

The Drifters' Golden Hits -- CD

The Drifters

1968 Atlantic Records

The most affordable Drifters compilation. May 22, 2005
By Josh P.
Format:Audio CD

Released in 1968, this set chronicled the golden era of the Drifters (1959-1964). This starts right off with the sound of the "new" Drifters with Ben E. King on lead: "There Goes My Baby"; timeless classic. Next "If You Cry" and "Dance With Me" a double-sided hit; both very nice, nice songs. I dig the string arrangements. The hits continue with "This Magic Moment" and "Save The Last Dance For Me." "I Count The Tears" is one I always liked because of the "na-na-na-na-na late at night", and that's right; the Grass Roots copied that for "Let's Live For Today." Uh-uh. "Some Kind Of Wonderful" is some kind of gem; it hardly gets any attention. "Up On The Roof" and "On Broadway" feature Rudy Lewis on vocal and are ageless songs. "Under The Boardwalk" and the answer to it, "I've Got Sand In My Shoes" are really crafty and neat songs as well as "Saturday Night At The Movies" which I loved ever since I first heard it. Those three feature Johnny Moore.

The Drifters were one of Atlantic Records best-selling groups and their songs are absolutely timeless and ageless never seeming to grow old. They sort of transport you to another place where you can escape the outside world. The Rhino compilation is the best alternative for this one because of track number and sound quality. Yes, this one is pretty short but the sound is quite good actually and a lot of songs are in stereo. If you're an original album collector liking to collect CD versions of old LPs, this is a definitive set.

Track Listing
1. There Goes My Baby
2. (If You Cry) True Love, True Love
3. Dance with Me
4. This Magic Moment
5. Save the Last Dance for Me
6. I Count the Tears
7. Some Kind of Wonderful
8. Up on the Roof
9. On Broadway
10. Under the Boardwalk
11. I've Got Sand in My Shoes
12. Saturday Night at the Movies

 

[Dennie]

So Far -- CD

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

1974 Atlantic Records

Amazon.com

It's tempting to follow the post-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young career of Neil Young and underestimate this early band as a lighter, commercial diversion. But their fourth album, a concise retrospective of highlights, remains a sweeping '60s document, full of pastoral optimism and the virtues of (even today) spectacular-sounding harmonies. These songs continue to dominate AOR radio, and the best--the searing "Ohio" (written after the Kent State massacre), the utopian "Woodstock," and the ominous, graceful "Wooden Ships," the band's best performance--have an artful, mystical sweetness. --Roy Francis Kasten

Track Listings
1. Deja Vu
2. Helplessly Hoping
3. Wooden Ships
4. Teach Your Children
5. Ohio
6. Find The Cost Of Freedom
7. Woodstock
8. Our House
9. Helpless
10. Guinnevere
11. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

 

[Botch]

^^^ an absolute classic, may need to dig that one out yet tonight! :handgestures-thumbup:

EDIT: did you know Joni MItchell painted that album cover?

 

[Dennie]

Listen Here! -- CD

The Gene Harris Quartet

1989 Concord Records

Although often associated with the blues, only one of the ten selections on this quartet set by pianist Gene Harris (who is joined by guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jeff Hamilton) is technically a blues. On this excellent all-around showcase for the soulful pianist, Harris sounds in prime form exploring such tunes as "This Masquerade," "Don't Be That Way," Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," and "The Song Is Ended." Listen Here! gives listeners a pretty definitive look at Gene Harris' accessible and swinging style. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. This Masquerade
2. Don't Be That Way
3. I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling
4. Listen Here
5. This Can't Be Love
6. To You
7. Blues for Jezebel
8. Sweet and Lovely
9. Lullabye
10. The Song Is Ended

Gene Harris Quartet: Gene Harris (piano); Ron Eschete (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Jeff Hamilton (drums).Recorded at The Plant Recording Studios, Sausalito, California in March 1989.

 

[Dennie]

^^^ an absolute classic, may need to dig that one out yet tonight! :handgestures-thumbup:

EDIT: did you know Joni MItchell painted that album cover?

The SQ was much better than I thought it would be. :handgestures-thumbup: Sometimes these "original issues" sound horrible, but that was not the case with this one... "So Far"!

Yes, Joni's sig. is at the bottom of the cover. :eusa-whistle:




Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Dennie]

BassFace - Live At Kuumbwa -- 20 Bit CD

The Ray Brown Trio - Benny Green - Jeff Hamilton

1993 Telarc Jazz

For this Telarc CD, bassist Ray Brown and pianist Benny Green split the solo chores almost evenly with drummer Jeff Hamilton, giving them stellar and creative support. Green has his best improvisations on "Phineas Can Be" and "Taking a Chance on Love," and the trio plays very close attention to dynamics (often swinging very quietly) and quickly reacting to each other's ideas. Rather than merely jamming the songs (the majority of which are standards), the bop-oriented group gives each melody a colorful framework filled with plenty of subtle surprises. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Milestones
2. Bass Face
3. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
4. Tin Din Deo
5. Crs-Craft
6. Taking a Chance on Love
7. Remember
8. Makin' Whoopie
9. Phineas Can Be

 

[Bob R]

Allman Brothers, Eat a Peach

How come no one told me this classic was available on 5.1 SACD??

Now you are gonna say that you did not know about "live at the Filmour" in 5.1?

The "In crowd? knows these things. :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Bob R]

The voices and harmony between the two singers is something to behold.

"The One That Got Away" is haunting & perfectly sung.

 

[Dennie]

Time Has Come: The Best of... Remastered-- CD

The Chamber Brothers

1996 Columbia Legacy

At their peak, the Chambers Brothers were a boundary-pushing soul outfit that joined other African-American led acts like Love, Sly & the Family Stone, and Funkadelic in creating an innovative new vision of American music that drew on both white and black musical influences. The 16-track TIME HAS COME: THE BEST OF THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS does an admirable job of capturing this group at the height of their powers. Those looking to hear the Brothers at their most soulful should look to their incendiary cover of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" and a stunning, near-11-minute take on the old spiritual "Wade In The Water" that rivals even the work of seminal gospel outfits like the Soul Stirrers and the Sunset Travelers for sheer emotional intensity. Of course, the collection includes their monster hit, "Time Has Come Today," which remains a masterful fusion of the rock-solid songwriting of classic soul and the feedback-laden aesthetic of the psychedelic era.

Track Listing
1. Time Has Come Today - (single edit version 2)
2. All Strung Out Over You
3. People Get Ready
4. I Can't Stand It
5. Uptown
6. I Can't Turn You Loose
7. A New Time-a New Day
8. You Got the Power-to Turn Me On
9. Are You Ready - (mono single version)
10. Wake Up
11. Peace and Happiness - (single version) Love
12. Let's Do It (Do It Together)
13. New Generation - (single version)
14. Funky
15. Wade in the Water - (live)
16. Time Has Come Today - (mono single version 1)

 

[Dennie]

Mama Africa -- CD

Peter Tosh

1983 EMI Records

Right up there with Marley, Toots, and Cliff, February 9, 2008
By Peter Chordas "music lover" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Mama Africa (Audio CD)

This classic will never get dated. It is Peter Tosh at his best with great backup vocals and band. His signature lead guitar is played beautifully like no other. It's no wonder Bob Marley chose him to be in "The Wailers!" Buy this CD, pop it in your player, and let it take you higher!

All tracks composed by Peter Tosh; except where indicated

"Mama Africa" - 7:56
"Glass House" - 5:53
"Not Gonna Give It Up" - 5:45
"Stop That Train" - 4:01
"Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry) - 4:03
"Where You Gonna Run" (Donald Kinsey) - 4:09
"Peace Treaty" - 4:21
"Feel No Way" - 3:29
"Maga Dog" - 4:25

 

[Dennie]

Songs In The Key Of Life -- 2 CD Set

Stevie Wonder

1976/2000 Motown Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Songs in the Key of Life (1976) was the highest high point of Stevie Wonder's career. More sprawling than Innervisions and Talking Book, this two-LP-plus-EP was also less of a consistent stunner than either of those masterworks. That Songs retains an enormous amount of visionary relevance, though, is demonstrated not only in Coolio's borrowing of "Pastime Paradise" as a template for "Gangsta's Paradise," but in the cold-as-ice synthesized string quartet of "Village Ghetto Land." This is Stevie, so naturally that cut's anger is balanced by the ultra-buoyant "I Wish," "Sir Duke," and "Another Star." The 2000 reissue boasts radically improved remastered sound. --Rickey Wright

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Love's in Need of Love Today" Stevie Wonder 7:06
2. "Have a Talk with God" Wonder, Calvin Hardaway 2:42
3. "Village Ghetto Land" Wonder, Gary Byrd 3:25
4. "Contusion" Wonder 3:46
5. "Sir Duke" Wonder 3:54
6. "I Wish" Wonder 4:12
7. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" Wonder 3:36
8. "Pastime Paradise" Wonder 3:28
9. "Summer Soft" Wonder 4:14
10. "Ordinary Pain" Wonder 6:23
11. "Isn't She Lovely?" Wonder 6:34
12. "Joy Inside My Tears" Wonder 6:30
13. "Black Man" Wonder, Byrd 8:30
14. "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" Wonder 3:49
15. "If It's Magic" Wonder 3:12
16. "As" Wonder 7:08
17. "Another Star" Wonder 8:28
A Something's Extra
No. Title Writer(s) Length
18. "Saturn" Wonder, Michael Sembello 4:54
19. "Ebony Eyes" Wonder 4:09
20. "All Day Sucker" Wonder 5:06
21. "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" Wonder 3:57
Total length:
1:44:54