Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life

Songs in the Key of Life is epic. I understand this. The saying, if it is a saying, that you respect something before you enjoy it applies here. The talent is clearly otherworldly. The melody and rhythm are top tier, not to mention how influential the whole thing is.

Buuuuuuut that doesn’t mean I love it. In fact, I was a bit bored by it. The album is massive in both length and ambition, and I won’t even pretend to understand all the lyrics or cultural statements going on.

Maybe I like a little more angst in my music. I know I like more friction. This is probably an unfair critique, but it’s an honest one.

We had just seen some real shit. Vietnam was barely behind us. Watergate had destroyed trust in government. Segregation and poverty were still very real struggles.

Wonder uses his music to heal through optimism, but to me it feels like sugarcoating. Real people had real problems, and this album feels like an escape from that reality. That's intentional.

Musically, there’s nothing to argue. It’s immaculate.