Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder

Week 4 - Not Spoken About Enough Album

Isn’t She Lovely

This week we are rolling back the clocks to 1976 for the release of Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life. Stevie Wonder is one of music’s most recognisable names across all generations. At the time of the release of his eighteenth studio album, Wonder had recently signed the biggest recording deal in history. He followed this deal with Songs In The Key Of Life to demonstrate why he was deserving of such a lucrative offer.

This album has been cited as one of the greatest of all times by some of music’s biggest names, most noticeably Elton John, yet no one from the new generation talks about it.

It was released as a double LP containing 21 songs and a total length of 1 hour 45 minutes.

Stevie Wonder is the king when it comes to groovy basslines and Songs In The Key Of Life exemplifies his talent to find a groove that hooks the listener in.

Songs In The Key Of Life opens with ‘Love’s In Need of Love Today’, a simple love ballad that allows Wonder’s vocals to shine and space for backing vocals to lift the music during the chorus.

Throughout the album, Wonder provides a sense of relaxation, with smooth vocals and soft instruments which are easy on the ears. The album is recognised by its jazz influence throughout, providing a unique feel to Wonder’s R&B / pop sound.

The album is fun, upbeat and there is joy in Wonder’s vocals. Songs like ‘Sir Duke’ and ‘I Wish’ sound like Wonder has invited all his friends to a party where they are welcomed to let themselves be free.

As the album moves from track to track, it chops and changes between high tempo, upbeat songs and slower love songs. The album cover perfectly represents the music; it’s vibrant, spirals to a centrepiece and is layered with joy.

The most popular song from Songs In The Key Of Life is ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ which is a song just as recognisable by the modern generation as it was when first released. Another instantly recognisable song is ‘Pastime Paradise’. The majority of people under the age of 30 will recognise this from Coolio’s 1995 version titled ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ without having realised it originated from one of music’s my recognisable faces.

Rating

Lyrics: 10/10

Melodies: 10/10

Instruments: 10/10

Uniqueness: 9/10

Overall: 10/10

Tell me what you think

Tell me your thoughts on Songs In The Key Of Life and when you first heard it.