Songs in the Key of Life - Music to Live By

2/15/11 – Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder)

Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle!

- Stevie Wonder

            This is another album on the list of recordings I knew of significantly better than I knew.  This magnum opus of Wonder has been an influence on so many artists, not just musically, but spiritually as well.  From its blatant socioeconomic commentary to deep religious roots, it follows in the footsteps of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.  A huge two-plus-record undertaking, the volume if this great collection does in no way dilute the power of the music contained herein.  Let’s take a look.

            The accapella opening to “Love’s in Need of Love Today” sets the tone for the entire album – gospel-and-soul-infused pop and funk, drawing on jazz and classical influences.  As the album title implies, each song here is a celebration of the joy of life.  Not always the joys of life, but finding grace and beauty in all of it – the lows as well as the highs.  “Have a Talk With God” introduces some exceptionally hard-grooving funk with an almost industrial sound to it, and again, an explicitly spiritual, even religious message that you simply don’t find in most mainstream music nowadays.

            “Village Ghettoland” is the first trough for me on this journey.  The commentary on urban poverty is poignant, but the pseudo-Baroque synthwork is more distracting than appropriate.  I think some of it may just be dating the album, and my perspective may have been different if I listened to this back in 1976 when it was released.  “Contusion” is a heavy rocking funky instrumental playground, showcasing some great studio musicians in addition to Stevie.  It’s interesting to note up to this point that in addition to being a tremendous songwriter, Stevie plays a diverse collection of instruments on this recording.  Like, an incredibly eclectic variety – impressive in its own right but even moreso for a blind musician.

            The first real chart topper on the CD, “Sir Duke” combines Wonder’s funky rhythm section with a killer horn section for this tribute to Duke Ellington and other major influences on the music of Stevie Wonder.  The iconic soli lines are hip to the n-th degree.  Likewise, the eight-note bass line of “I Wish” is immediately recognizable and forms the perfect basis for this fun-loving chart.  Again, the sax and trumpet foursome contribute some amazing hooks to this track.

            “Knocks Me Off My Feet” slows things down appropriately with a ballad with overtones of Carol King (perhaps with a little added caffeinated kick.)  “Pastime Paradise,” while I’m certain I’ve never heard before, was immediately recognizable – it was sampled heavily (to the point I would say stolen) on Coolio’s 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise.”  The lyrics were changed, but the melody, structure, arrangement even are nearly identical.

            “Summer Soft” takes a very jazz-poppy turn for the album with a medium-slow syncopated offering that if I want to find or transcribe and put into my own repertoire ASAP.  It’s a little “American Idol,” but this is a killer forward-driving piano pseudo-ballad that I want to pick up soon… like maybe this afternoon.  So far, the best new find for me on the album (meaning there’s a few I knew to expect greatness from going in.)

            “Ordinary Pain” is a bit of a letdown compared to the level of greatness established on this album – which I’m sure would be a great track on many others.  As previously stated, this album covers a gamut of emotion and life experiences.  Maybe it just doesn’t speak to me where I am now in life, I don’t know.  Regardless the abrupt shift in styles right before the 3-minute mark is stark and at least to my ear, unwelcome.  It’s like this song is really two songs thrown together, and unfortunately I’m not particularly fond of either one of them. L

            “Isn’t She Lovely” is another great and well known tune – a beautiful celebration of his daughter Aisha Morris.  “Joy Inside My Tears” brings back some of the cheesy synth sounds from “Village Ghettoland,” and again is a low point for me, as is the following track, “Black Man.”  While it has some nice funky rhythm work, the tune seems to stagnate.

            “Ngiculela-Es Una Historia-I Am Singing” is another familiar tune which I sang back in my Jazz Singers days at UNT.  Like many songs from that part of my life, I’m more familiar with the arrangement we sang than the original.  Ours was a little more latin jazz than this synth-poppy version, but still a great song.  “If It’s Magic” is another interesting shift – Stevie’s song is accompanied solely by solo harp.  It’s different… maybe out of place, but still ok.  “As” adds the amazing Herbie Hancock and his signature sound to the album, and it another great piece of work.  The closing track of the album proper, “Another Star,” brings in a heavy dose of disco to the mix, and as always, is great writing and arranging alike.  The following four tracks are all bonus recordings… as if the original double LP isn’t enough.  Forgive me for skipping over them in the play-by-play.  Songs in the Key of Life is a tremendous song cycle with not only a number of great works individually, but a composite that speaks volumes on the joy of living.  They really don’t make albums like this any more.

           

Next up – Bach: Cello Suites

Next week – Exile on Main Street (The Rolling Stones)