11/22/2023 0 Comments That girl stevie wonder![]() ![]() ![]() If the Beatles’ music could be, by turns, sexy, spiritual, and political, so could Stevie Wonder.īut before we reassess the tracks on Talking Book, we need to remember what Mr. Recording new music outside the vintage Motown system while using a revolutionary computerized instrument to do so helped drive these points home. Despite physical blindness, he reveals himself to his fans as a seer despite seeing all races as equal, he won’t ignore how racial and social injustice disproportionately oppress Blacks. The big afro looming above image-projecting sunglasses on Music of My Mind, followed by Wonder wearing African robes and braided cornrows on Talking Book, shows him in a proudly Afrocentric state. Even the titles and cover art of what would become Wonder’s breakaway albums telegraphed his determination to start presenting his own ideas in his own way. ![]() The singer had spent 10 years soaking up musical influences from church, television, radio, and a wide range of other performers before breaking free of the sonic straightjacket Motown imposed on all its artists. Ramping up to the glorious suite of original material that would comprise Talking Book were Wonder’s initial attempts to completely control his sound on 1971’s Where I’m Coming From and Music of My Mind. Aside from some pop-R&B singles crafted by in-house production teams serving Black radio’s bottom line, what Berry Gordy wanted from a Stevie Wonder album was inoffensive pop covers and modern standards aimed at the adult crossover market. ![]()
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