Innervisions [Vinyl]

BOOK, WONDER WENT ON TO RELEASE, IN 1973, WHAT IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE HIS GREATEST ACHIEVMENT. HERE WONDER BRINGS SOCIAL COMMENTARY TO THE FORE WITH CLASSIC HITS LIKE "HIGHER GROUND" AND "LIVING FOR THE CITY" AND HIS COMMENTARY ON AMERICAN URBAN LIVING HAS REMAINED SOME OF THE MOST POIGNANT IN MUSIC HISTORY. THE ALBUM ALSO WON THREE GRAMMYS, INCLUDING ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

One of Stevie Wonder's best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles, 1973's Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing"), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of "Higher Ground"). The striking juxtaposition between "Vision," a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great "Living for the City," a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. --David Cantwell