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not much of a stevie fan but I remember the 70's and golden lady just brings back ther time of afropicks, old school ebonics, the time when black artists was more creative and the synthesizers man another personal favorite is too high where he just admits his ode to the mighty marjiana baby yeah still not a bad album I heard higher ground to death too much over the years.
First, some of Stevie's biggest hits are here (the casual Stevie Wonder fan will easily recognize the Top 10 hits "Higher Ground" and "Living for the City" from the track listing). "Misstra Know it All" is also a pretty good closing song. I have all of the CDs from his much-celebrated "classic period" from 1972-1976, and while they are all good, this is the one I listen to the most.
Also, "All Is Fair In Love" is a beautiful, breathtaking ballad about lost love which features Stevie's great singing and his piano (kind of like another great song of his "Ribbon in the Sky"). So to recap, that's 6 out of the 9 songs which I think range from being great-to-very good, the remaining 3 songs being okay. Also, "Jesus Children of America" is a funky song that I hadn't heard prior to buying this CD which turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
As the title of this review says, this is definitely my favorite Stevie Wonder album. For example, "Don't You Worry About a Thing" is probably one of my top 5 favorite Stevie songs. Basically, if you like Stevie Wonder, and are interested in exploring his work beyond "Greatest Hits" compilations, Innervisions is a great way to start, as I think its his most consistent CD front-to-back that he ever produced.
Innervisions definitely has a lot going for it. Second, and just as important, are the great album tracks that are here, some of which the casual fan may or may not know, because they don't tend to show up on "Greatest Hits" compilations for whatever reason.
I have other albums from Stevie Wonder's "classic period" ("Music of my mind", "Songs in the key of life"), but in my opinion this is his best. It's easy to focus on the strength of Stevie Wonder's voice, from the effortless soul of "Don't you worry 'bout a thing" to the raw emotion and power of "All in love is fair", but the fact is that there are no weaknesses on this album - from the lyrics to the production, it feels like perfection from start to finish. What a talent. It's hard to believe that this masterpiece was produced by a 23 year old, who wrote and arranged all nine tracks, and played almost every instrument on the album.
Nine represents fulfillment, attainment of aspirations, divine accomplishment, and our success to achieve a type of influence over our circumstances. Here, let me help you.I was nine.Here I was just nine years old receiving an album that had nine tracks.Coincidence. But I have a feeling that it was all too real.Good thing I believe in the power of forgiveness and good thing I own a vinyl copy of Innervisions. The spiritual meaning of number nine deals with creative power and inspiration; the ability to use our mind, heart and soul to influence situations and things. I'm a month away from being forty four so I'm going to let you do the math. I need to purge my mind.
Please tell me it was the sardine and onion sandwich I had before going to bed and it gave me nightmares. I think not.The spiritual meaning of number Nine is the very height of vibrational frequencies in the number sequence. Purge it from all those images of Stevie Wonder singing with the Jonas Brothers. Oh, you went to public school.I'm sorry. The number Nine extends to us an opportunity to awaken and stir up the "inner gifts" and express these possibilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.Either that or I'm just reading too much into things ---- again.But I really do believe that this recording is purely Divine in nature.I mean, all things are at their root, but this particular recording is Stevie touching the "hem of the garment" and receiving a musical healing that I know has probably helped many a broken child to heal and reveal their own wholeness/their own holiness.So we have nine tracks that each touch a particular area of the soul and even though they may only reflect just a tiny aspect of the soul.the identity.the Self behind the self, they influence the Whole which is the power of redemption.the ability to find Holiness, Grace, and Beauty even in the most tragic and dire of circumstances.I love Stevie Wonder and I think the beauty of his earlier recordings is that they had a definite edge to them and they "cut through" and "sliced" away the tensions, the prejudices, the hatreds, and the guilt we feel from carrying around these unworthy attributes and they allowed us.and still allow us to drop them at the feet of the Master - whomever that may be for you - and knowing that despite all of it, we are accepted, embraced, and invited to experience True Vision.innervision.and see the All behind the All.Reach for Higher Ground and buy this CD.Stevie, I love you, man.I promise that I will have no more sardine and onion sandwiches if you stop singing with the Jonas Brothers.Peace and Blessings, children of "wonder"john, `the Light Coach" Please, somebody tell me that didn't even happen.
A record I have had for the past 35 years.
Yeah, you might as well give up now. Drums, bass, guitar, piano, vocals. AND HE DID ALL OF THIS DESPITE BEING BLIND SINCE BIRTH. The next time you want to feel completely, pathetically inadequate about your own half-baked attempts to write and perform music, remind yourself that Stevie Wonder put out Innervisions, one of a handful of truly perfect rock/pop/soul albums in history, when he was 23. Or just buy this album and appreciate it for the heaven-sent gift it is. And he produced it. And he wrote all the songs, including three hit singles ("Higher Ground," "Living For The City," "He's Misstra Know-It-All"). And he played every single instrument himself, barring a guest musician on a couple songs.
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