Innervisions - Visions

I must admitt that this one is the tricky one, as  for me  Stevie Wonder is Mr Classic and it's  diffucult to choose one album in particular. Innervisions  represent The Album, a Must have. Songs like " Jesus Children of America ", " Visions " and " He's Misstra Know-it-al " represent for me the essence of Stevie Wonder.

Stevie's view is basically optimistic in this one, a constant search for the "Higher Ground," but the path is full of snares: dope ("Too High"), lies ("Jesus Children of America") and the starkly rendered poison of the city ("Living for the City") who has the most compelling -- pounding, throbbing, unyielding -- beat to be heard anywhere at all. "Today's not yesterday,/And all things have an ending" is the way he puts it in "Visions," the key tune of the album -- . There's a lot of varied music here -- Latin, reggae, all Stevie Wonder

  

Stevie Wonder Biography :

Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Judkins in 1950. He later went by Steveland Morris, after his mother's married name. Wonder has been blind since being given too much oxygen in an incubator as a newborn. He learned the piano at the age of seven, and also played drums and harmonica by the age of nine. In 1961 Wonder was discovered by Ronnie White of the Miracles. He was signed to Motown Records after an audition for Berry Gordy. Steveland was renamed Little Stevie Wonder and began working with writer/producer Clarence Paul.
Wonder's contract with Motown expired in 1971. He recorded two albums of his own material, playing almost all the instruments himself, including the early use of a synthesizer in R&B. Wonder re-signed with Motown with the pretext of total artistic control. Where I'm Coming From (featuring the US Top 10 hit "If You Really Love Me") and Music Of My Mind were released in 1971 and 1972. Later in 1972, Talking Book was released and was hailed as Wonder's artistic breakthrough 

1973's Innervisions was even more acclaimed than Talking Book and included "Living For The City" and "Higher Ground. 1974's Fulfillingness' First Finale continued his acclaim and featured "Boogie On, Reggae Woman" and "You Haven't Done Nothin'". HIs 1976 double album Songs In The Key Of Life was another huge critical commercial success with two Pop hits, "Sir Duke" and "I Wish," as well as the classic "Isn't She Lovely."