Farfel's Final Shindig

Overall Album Score: 9.5 out of 10

These Stevie Wonder reviews of mine are looking quite alike as of late, aren’t they? I mean … this is the THIRD 9.5 in a ROW. … I don’t think there’s a parallel to that anywhere else on the sight, except for The Beatles who chugged out a bunch of 10’s in a row … I also swear that I don’t plan these album scores in advance. With little exception, I just let them stand what they’re calculated to be! AND THAT’S WHAT I DID WITH THESE REVIEWS! SO THERE!

If you are mathematically inclined like I, unfortunately, am, you would notice that this album scored .33333333… better than the last two Stevie albums. Oddly enough, it wouldn’t have been if I didn’t decide that I pretty much worship “Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away” and give it a 10plus! …… Yeah, so if I didn’t do that, then … this album woulda been a 9.46666666667…

Putting the nerdiness of the album reviewer aside (who does, actually, realize that mathematics has no place in the critical assailing of art), I want to emphasize one thing strongly:

“HEAVEN IS 10 ZILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY” IS A FREAKING AWESOME SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S THE BEST! IT’S THE GREATEST! I LOOOOVE IT!!!!

And I like all the other songs, too. There are nine other songs besides “Heaven,” and they’re not as good, imso (in my stupid opinion).

The other nine songs all succeed because they all possess one important element: Stevie Wonder. If it wasn’t for Stevie Wonder, none of these songs would have been good. Even “Heaven” would have sucked.

Everything this man does (at least throughout the 70s) it seems is instant gold. His voice shines throughout all the songs. His use of the harmonica outshines Bob Dylan’s use of the instrument (which I also heavily adore). The instrumental choice throughout the songs was unusual enough to keep it from seeming generic, but also done so well that every song feels flawless.

Even the darker tone Wonder adopts for this album doesn’t phase the entertainment of this album. Apparently, this was Wonder’s response to surviving a near-fatal accident … fortunately, Wonder didn’t lose his touch. That also means that there aren’t really any love songs in here, if that’s the only thing you can bear to treasure from Stevie Wonder. A few of these songs are political in nature … some touch on isolation … Subject matter aside, the music is in top-form, and the album is highly recommendable.

Overall Album Score: 9.5 out of 10 (Another utterly fantastic album in the Stevie Wonder discography. He wanes nor wavers.)

Average Song Score: 9.5 (Every song on here might not be a total masterpiece, but they are immaculate and totally entertaining. Wonder can’t go wrong.)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (Wonderful from start to finish… I’m now under the impression that ‘Wonderful’ was a word invented after Stevie.)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevieeeeeeee!)

Track Reviews

Smile Please 9.5/10

It seems like upon every Stevie Wonder song I review, the more I want to put him on my list of “Awesome Awesome Awesome People.” How on Earth can a mortal Earthling ever write such unabashedly pleasant songs that aren’t even remotely sickening? … DUDE! MAYBE STEVIE’S AN ALIEN??? … or an advanced type of android? … Heck! He’s certainly great! The melody here is very wonderful … It’s one hundred percent catchy. The happy, optimistic atmosphere … makes me optimistic and happy during these dark times (sic), and … oh, I love stuff.

Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away 10plus/10

The only real reason I couldn’t give “Smile Please” a 10 is because I knew this song proceeded it. … AND GOINOERIGNORINOINOINOINOINOINO!!!!!! I’ll never be able to put what I think about this song into proper words. … The song starts perfectly, delicately … the middle of it is soulful and expressive … it briefly turns into a gospel number a few times. The lyrics seem kind of hopeless and depressed to start out, but at the end of it, it is among the greatest expressions of sheer hope that I’ve ever heard. I’m left to wonder why can’t we sing this song in church. It celebrates God’s glory and God’s promise in glorious ways. This is one FANTASTIC song.

Too Shy Too Shy 9.5/10

A low-key song with echoey instrumentals, and Stevie gives a very heartfelt and soulful performance … The song is very pleasant and quite touching! It sounds desperate and cold, but there’s a certain amount of warmth and hope in it. I’m not sure if that was necessarily deliberate or knowing that this same guy did “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”

Boogie on Reggae Woman 9/10

Yay! BRING ON THE FUNK!!!! Stevie, as always, is a total master at creating them funky grooves. Of course, the groove is partly done on a synthesizer, and I actively like the sound of it. There’s also some nice bluesy piano in here … making this a very fun song to listen to. Stevie’s soulful performance (both his vocals and the awesome harmonica), again however, is the highlight.

Creepin’ 10/10

Another song that just sounds perfect! Lesser artists (i.e. practically everybody) would make a song like this sound utterly boring, but … Wonder doesn’t, of course. The synthscape backing is lucid, pleasant, and it poses an atmosphere that your mind can totally live in. Wonder’s vocal performance is rather soothing … and the female singers he gets to sing harmony with him during several parts of the album are utterly brilliant. … Bob Dylan could never seem to do that with female singers … although, I’m not too sure Dylan was totally trying.

You Haven’t Done Nothing 9.5/10

If it wasn’t for the fact that the song’s mood is completely different, I would probably have accused this song of being a near knock-off of “Superstition!” The tight funk-groove of it sounds remarkably similar to it, anyway! The mood is quite a bit bleaker and more desperate than “Superstition” … and after about 15 seconds it really doesn’t sound much like “Superstition,” anyway. This is yet another phenomenally entertaining song from the greatest person in the world.

It Ain’t No Use 9/10

Even when Stevie isn’t on top of his form, he still manages to sound fantastic! … Usually at this point of an album, filler starts to set in, but this thing is very beautiful and … another classic! And another perfect Wonder vocal performance soars over it all!

They Won’t Go When I Go 9/10

Very dark, very bleak … but … Have I just come addicted to Stevie’s voice, and that’s what makes it all okay? May’haps. But his instrumental choice (a bleak synthscape) is alluring and, of course, the melody is money. Plus, you can never go wrong with these vocal performances!

Bird of Beauty 9/10

A good song! … Quite immaculate … I like the “doop-doops” from the female backing vocals, and … Stevie made another nice song! … Yay!!!

Please Don’t Go 9/10

Anyone who was a little bit off-put by the moody theme of this album probably appreciate this completely happy album closer! Isn’t it like him to do something like this? … Of course, I rather enjoyed his moody stuff, so … this is just the sweet icing, I guess. It glistens on my tastebuds…

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