Where I'm Rubbing Gum

Overall Album Score: 8.0 out of 10

This is an often overlook piece of Stevie Wonder's discography. Even I overlooked it! I already wrote reviews of Music of My Mind and Talking Book before realizing that I totally skipped this!

Well, this is where Stevie was finally given some legroom in his career and was allowed to begin writing his own songs. ... Unfortunately, Motown was still holding his hand throughout this, and ... it shows!! So, this isn't a true Stevie Wonder album. In fact, his producer didn't even want this album to be released ... which is strange, because this is a far more artistically advanced album than the previous three he had! It's not necessarily better, but I'd imagine that was due to the tension between Stevie and his evil producers. FORTUNATELY, Wonder wasn't going to be apart of the Motown factory, anymore. He went onto independently record his following two albums, and then he got back with Motown with total creative control! YAY!!!

This album suffers from exactly what you'd probably expect it to. There's simply not enough Stevie in it! Yeah, many of the songs are his, but they're not HIS! Most are good, but the instrumentation is so danged generic that ... UGH! About a third of these sound like they were taken off a Beatles album ... others sound like they were meant for night clubs in Las Vegas ... others are simply generic R&B instrumentation. ... I can't pinpoint exactly what Wonder had creative control over, but I'll bet you a million Cheerios that he had very little say over the backing instruments.

...But what this album does do is give us that "missing link" between his commercial Signed, Sealed, and Delivered and the beginning of his real career with Music of My Mind. ...And there's some pretty good music on here as well! You can even spot a Ray Charles tribute! ... And he loses his breath, too, on "Never Dreamed of You." ... I guess that proves the guy's immaculate singing voice isn't immortal ... it's still dang impressive, though. (You should hear that song! ... Who would ever bother singing like that? He must have been out of his mind!)

Overall Album Score: 8.0 out of 10 (Stevie Wonder's first album where he gets to participate in most of the songwriting. He's still not able to have complete creative control over this ... and that fact affects this album dearly.)

Average Song Score: 8.1 (These songs are fine ... they're too generic for taste, though, overall. Not an ounce of originality in here ... not that it was Stevie Wonder's fault.)

Album Tilt: 8.0 (A decent album ... it's consistent, at least.)

Artist Rating: 8.0 (He still didn't have full creative control over this, even though he participates in the songwriting. ... Really, couldn't they see that Stevie Wonder was brilliant and should have been in complete control? NO DUH!!!! Idiotic Motown execs...)

Track Reviews

Look Around 9/10

This is surprisingly low-key for a Stevie Wonder song ... It's trying to rely more on a harrowing atmosphere (as opposed to an unrelentingly optimistic one). But what makes this a great song is its melody, which is pretty catchy ... and the instrumentation, which oddly enough, sounds Medieval.

Do Yourself a Favor 7.5/10

Nice funk, I say ... I don't really like the melody, though. I think Wonder's vocals go a little bit over-the-top, when this sort of song might have benefited from a more intimate vocal performance. It's a fairly decent song for entertainment's sake, but this isn't something to fall in love with. A bit too overblown to be considered a Stevie Wonder classic. ... But hey! At least this isn't laundry-line-produced Motown schlock!

Think of Me as Your Soldier 8/10

You know, this doesn't sound a whole lot different from those old Motown days ... this song sounds rather cheesy! But ... whatever ... Stevie's in his "transitional" stage. The melody is pretty good, anyway. The instrumentation is pretty generic. ... This song is only good because Stevie Wonder is on the vocals. You can't hate the guy in this song. No matter how much you try.

Something Out of the Blue 8/10

Sort of an Eleanor Rigby type song ... so, it's not terribly original for 1971. But Stevie Wonder's vocals are great, of course, and ... this song ain't bad. Kind of cheesy, but who cares?

If You Really Love Me 8/10

More of an upbeat generic song ... complete with a brass section ... and then it slows down and gets all dramatic. Yeah ... this a song that sounds more appropriate for the Las Vegas lounge scene! But ... it's perfectly fun listening to it here. Stevie is COOOOLL.

I Wanna Talk to You 7/10

Hello, RAY CHARLES!!!! Stevie gives what I'm assuming is a Ray Charles impression. And then the song breaks into this ridiculously generic R&B song with a very goofy voice. ... It's sort of interesting in that this isn't exactly something I'd expect Stevie Wonder to do ... it's interesting, but ... thank goodness he didn't try it again!

Take Up a Course in Happiness 9.5/10

A pretty good Beatles impersonation, I say. It's a very happy, upbeat tune with a melody that actually rivals the Fab Four. The melody is catchy, the instrumentation is Beatles-esque ... yet, the singing is 100 percent Stevie.

Never Dreamed You 8/10

Holy CRAP!!! Isn't Stevie singing a bit too intensely here? ... MAN!! He sings this soooo intensely that he literally runs out of breath in the middle of this! It's overblown, to be sure, but ... it's kinda fun just hearing him run out of breath like that. That's evil. Yeah. I know.

Sunshine in Their Eyes 8/10

Seven minutes long? Dudes! ... Again, the general problem with this song is that it is rather dated and generic. ... But the melody is pretty good and ... it manages to sustain itself for seven minutes. I like it! But it's not an "excellent" song ... there's just not enough Stevie in this.

Anything from where you're coming from? Send them here!

geosochi@yahoo.com (George) received July 15, 2005

I agree with you this tends to be overlooked, both as an excellent album and when talking about Stevie's development as an artist...

I believe Stevie relocated to Los Angeles at that time with most of the rest of Motown, and was attending music theory classes at USC, and got hooked on classical music! So this is Stevie's "classical album", so to say. It features some of my favorite Stevie tunes ever, "If You Really Love Me" and "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer".... two tunes almost completely opposite in personality, as one is brimming with life and love and passion, and the other more introspective and contemplative, and man, can Stevie make you mellow.... another gorgeous song that transcends any description is "All In Love Is Fair" from Innervisions.... I look forward to reading your review of that album too... :)