Stevie Wonder: Natural Wonder - Disc 1 of 2 CD Track Listing

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Stevie Wonder Natural Wonder - Disc 1 of 2 (1996)
Natural Wonder - Disc 1 of 2\n1995 Motown Record Company, L.P.\n\nOriginally Released November 21, 1995\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Following the relative commercial failure of Conversation Peace, Stevie Wonder rushed out this double-disc live album drawn from an international tour during which he was backed by different symphony orchestras, his older songs featuring string parts in place of the synthesizer lines. He introduced several new songs -- "Dancing to the Rhythm," the instrumental "Stevie Ray Blues," "Stay Gold," and "Ms. & Mr. Little Ones" -- which demonstrated that his melodic muse was still with him and that he remained an awkward lyricist when he was more interested in the political stance than the poetical scansion. But for most of the running time, he acted as a human jukebox, pumping out his bits with enthusiasm and humor before an audibly enthralled audience. That made Natural Wonder entertaining, but inessential. -- William Ruhlmann\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWow! Great Dolby Surround!, July 16, 2000 \nBy E. Fishbein "SpaceDude" (Saturn) - See all my reviews\nThis is a great CD. Hard to add much more to what other folks have said about the content but I just wanted to mention that this CD has the best use I've ever heard of Dolby Pro-Logic Surround in a live setting.\nThe odd thing is that nowhere on the CD or liner notes does it state the CD is mixed in surround sound, but it clearly is. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra \nProducer: Stevie Wonder \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Stevie Wonder (vocals, harmonica, piano); Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (various instruments); Rick Zunigar (guitar); Isaiah Sanders, Herman Jackson (keyboards); Nathan Watts (bass); Gerry Brown (drums); Darryl Jackson (percussion); Keith John, Panzie Johnson, Marva King (background vocals).\n\nRecorded live in Osaka, Japan and Tel Aviv, Israel. \nIncludes liner notes by Ruth Adkins Robinson and Brian O'Neal.\n\nThere are certain things in this world that have no downside. Aside from being handed a large sum of money for no particular reason, one of the first that comes to mind is a two-disc live set from Stevie Wonder, the Poet Laureate of R&B. After you get through puzzling over the Yanni-penned liner notes and unnecessarily elaborate packaging, you'll be duly bowled over by the soulfulness, melodicism and pure musical invention contained in the two discs that make up NATURAL WONDER.\nEven in the '90s, decades after he'd first recorded many of the tunes performed here, Stevie proved to be more than capable of gnerating the kind of excitement you first felt when hearing those songs. From the funky, reality-tempered optimism of "Higher Ground" to the gritty urban portrait "Living for the City" and the sunny, heart-stopping ballad "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Stevie delivers the good with precision, emotion and plain old soul. Backed by a funky band (and occasionally the Tokyo Philharmonic) Stevie makes it plain why he's one of the most respected singer-songwriters of the 20th century.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n4 Stars - Excellent - ...throughout the course of this 25-year retrospective, Wonder repeatedly demonstrates the remarkable extent to which his distinctive inner visions have been ahead of the musical curve...\nRolling Stone Magazine (01/25/1996)\n\n...Songs that seemed contrived or inconsequential in the studio are here revealed as rich and resonantly complex...\nMusician (03/01/1996)\n\n4 Stars - Excellent - ...a triumph, an intriguing showcase of Wonder's natural brilliance as singer and songwriter...\nQ Magazine (02/01/1996)\n\n...presents Wonder's music the way it was meant to be heard--with strings, horns, and a full R&B rhythm section...\nEntertainment Weekly (12/01/1995)\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nIt's a measure of Stevie Wonder's place in our collective unconscious that merely saying his name immediately conjures up images of Eddie Murphy's Saturday Night Live impression -- the neck arched upward, the body swaying, the braids flying. To many listeners, especially during the past decade, when hip-hop so dominated the black-music scene, Wonder has been increasingly perceived as more of a soul-music icon than an authentic presence. Which is precisely what makes Natural Wonder -- a double CD recorded live with a 30-piece symphony orchestra at concerts in Osaka, Japan, and Tel Aviv, Israel, earlier this year -- such an important and revelatory statement. Because throughout the course of this 25-year retrospective, Wonder repeatedly demonstrates the remarkable extent to which his distinctive inner visions have been ahead of the musical curve.\n\nGiven Wonder's exhaustive body of work, one is prone to take for granted such breakthrough recordings as the funk 'n' rolling "Superstition" ('72), the R&Bjiving "I Wish" ('76) and the reggae-bopping "Master Blaster (Jammin')," from 1980. In retrospect it's clear that when Wonder sang, "Music is a world within itself with a language that we all understand" on "Sir Duke," his '76 tribute to Duke Ellington, his kaleidoscopic, pancultural musical philosophy was already firmly in place. Listening to his wordless, soaring East-meets-West vocal gymnastics on "Love's in Need of Love Today," the circular gospel blues of "Higher Ground" or the nightmarish urban landscape depicted in "Village Ghetto Land," one hears an artistic wellspring from which such artists as Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Arrested Development and Coolio have all drawn sustenance and inspiration.\n\nIf one were forced to pick a solitary track here to represent what Wonder is all about, it would be "Ribbon in the Sky," originally recorded in 1982. The song begins as a straightforward pop ballad with just voice and piano, glides smoothly into a jazz-tinged instrumental break in which Wonder trades harmonica riffs with his sax player and ends up swinging over a churning Latin beat. Such is the seamless, eclectic genius of Stevie Wonder. (RS 726 -- Jan 25, 1996) -- BILLY ALTMAN
This rock cd contains 13 tracks and runs 60min 2sec.
Freedb: b90e100d
Buy: from Amazon.com

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