Minnie Riperton: Perfect Angel
From: Perfect Angel/Adventures in Paradise
Syreeta: Spinnin’ And Spinnin’
From: Syreeta/Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta
Spinners: We’ll Have It Made
From: Essential Collection
G.C. Cameron: If You Don’t Love Me
From: Love Songs & Other Tragedies
Yeah, I know, the title, it’s bad, sorry. Anyway, forget that and concentrate on the music.
I’ve wanted to do a post on Stevie Wonder for as long as I’ve been doing this but the problem is that when you’re as well loved as the Wonder there’s very little material that hasn’t been featured to death already. Therefore I’m going round this problem by focusing on some of the song’s he wrote for other artists during his golden seventies period.
I’ve featured songs by both Minnie and Syreeta in my blogging past (over three years ago? Damn!) and my feelings on both haven’t changed. Perfect Angel off the album of the same name is a great example of Stevie forcing Minnie to showcase a different style of vocal gymnastics as the melody switches up and around.
Syreeta was in many ways Wonder’s perfect muse, contributing to his song writing as well as seeming to inspire him to pen stunning tracks. Spinnin’ And Spinnin’ off her second album, Stevie Wonder Presents…… is just an absolutely amazing track in every way – from Syreeta’s wonderfully delivered vocal to the hook to the production. If you don’t already own her first two albums then can I make it your one essential purchase for the weekend please.
Speaking of Stevie/Syreeta writing together they actually joint penned the massive massive It’s A Shame for The Spinners which I won’t post up here for you today. However they also penned the far less well known We’ll Have It Made which is a lovely little tune in it’s own right and worthy of wider appreciation.
Finally to wrap it up, keeping with the Spinners, I give you their lead singer G.C. Cameron’s If You Don’t Love Me off his widely ignored album Love Songs & Other Tragedies. This song is pure upbeat funky Wonder at his best and Cameron delivers a great vocal to do it justice. Still not widely known, this song really needs to become more of a staple in people’s playlists.
Apart from the above I know of Wonder’s work with Ramsey Lewis and Smokey though apparently he also delivered some songs for Martha and The Vandellas that I’m yet to track down. Any other recommendations?
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Nice post Junior. Only cottoned on to his songs for other people because of those amazing Bobbito & Spinna bootleg mix CDs. The Syreeta LPs are indeed essential and still don't really sound like anything else out there.
There are actually 6 Syreeta LPs. Is "One To One" as good? I guess you might have just been thinking of the first 2 with the heaviest Wonder influence?
Maybe obvious, but Wonder wrote my favourite track on Michael JacksonÂ’s Off the Wall – "Couldn't Help It".
But like I already implied, everything from the original Spinna & Bobbito vols 1&2 Wonder mixes are gold. Can upload for you if you want?
Ha ha yeah cheers matt – I got tunnel vision with the Wonder and managed to ignore all subsequent Syreeta albums – will fix it in the post.
On One to One the sound is definitely more disco influenced but it isn't bad as such. I just think my expectations were so high after the first two that nothing else could really live up to them. Her and Wonder just worked so well together.
Yeah had forgotten about the Jackson, fine fine song.
Would absolutely love to hear the Spinna & Bobbito mixes.
Great selection, Junior. I had never heard that Cameron track before – there's some ridiculous percussion going on there.
Cool. Well I'll up them here later then. As they're 'promotional' in the first place, I assume that's cool. Different, cut-down versions got properly released later, but they're not as good.
This is my favourite mix of all time I think.
4CDs worth of songs written by Stevie Wonder. Mixed by DJ Spinna and Bobbito Garcia; includes rarities, live tracks, rare covers and tracks he wrote for other people.
If you didn't like him before (you're wrong), just take a listen and be amazed.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1C9KGH6M
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TQD20LWX
I'm late on this but since nobody mentioned it. There's also this track Stevie wrote for Rufus and Chaka Khan on their "Rags to Rufus" album: "Tell me something good". A great slow-tempo tune with this immediately recognizable Wonderesque touch.