...THE DAWNING OF A NEW ERA...

in 1971,(after his breakaway motown album "where i'm coming from"-an album that mixed lovesongs of regret and it's social political message)the musical genius stevie wonder exiled himself from the musical restraints of motown and chairman berry gordy-moved to new york and pursued a new ground breaking musical journey and chose "electric ladyland" studios-a studio that was built and made famous by the legendary guitarist jimi hendrix.the sounds of new musical technology was on wonder's mind and he met with robert margouleff and malcolm cecil(who were the experts of synthesizers,the moog and the ARP.)whom wonder had hired for the development of his new sound.wonder felt that synthesizers gave him a way to express what was coming from his mind.so,the title that stevie came up with his new album would be entitled "music of my mind" an album of musical maturity and glorious modern sound.but it was also the first official album in his new second phase of his brilliant career where he was allowed to roam free in flight with a new liberated musical spirit."music of my mind" is the dawning of a new era for stevie and it was the album that had started it all for him in his new beginning for all of his seventies glory.released in march,1972-"music of my mind" opens with the lyrics of all the songs printed inside the album jacket which also opens with a beautiful collage of the earth,human beings and other artifacts including five photographic images of stevie. "music of my mind" opens with the first funk cut of the album 'love having you around'(which was co-written with his ex-wife syreeta wright)which is 7 minutes and 21 seconds of wonder delivering his funky synthesizer magic,and celebrating the funky joy of love with his woman:'and when the day is through/nothin'to do/just sit around groovin'with you/and i say it 'cause i love having you around'-this jam also sounds like a love party.what is also unique about this funk number is it's hypnotic bass drum beat.the song features art baron on trombone.'superwoman'is the album's first love ballad.the song could very well detail his relationship with his ex syreeta.this lovesong of romantic regret is one of the many beautiful lovesongs that is in his loveballad repertoire.'superwoman'has a jazzy soulful sensuality.the song's instrumentation and complexed melody is a thing of wonder to listen to.it takes the listener inside wonder's mind for music of the future.despite the song's beautiful and complexed jazz melody,it is a song that speaks of a romantic relationship that was coming to an end.the romantic but regretful tone that wonder sings in the song about his lover:'mary wants to be a superwoman-but is that really in her head-but i just want to live each day to love her for what she is'...midway thru the song he had to leave her because she tried to 'boss the bull around'...wonder continues:'but very well,wish that you knew me too-very well-and i think i can deal with everything going thru your head'.at the song's conclusion,as the seasons changed from summer into winter he missed his woman as she was nowhere to be found.this love story has heartbreak reality written all over it when one lover wants to dominate the other.heartbreak aside,this masterpiece of a song has many musical treasures to it,with its progressive chord changes,jazz stylings, and the many vocal and musical moods that wonder displays in this piece.it also features great guitar work by buzzy feiton.'i love every little thing about you'is a midtempo groove and is a song about a woman whom he loves very much.the song's glorious celebration is that he loves her because she has been there for him thru thick and thin,and he tells the world that he loves her so.in the song,wonder details the outside forces of those who may criticize him for the love that he has found:a woman that is very good to him of which he vocalizes:'though they put me down because-i love you as much as i do-they don't know what you've done for me-you've made such a happy man out of me'...this song is a good reference point for couples who are truly in love and just ignore people who are jealous of couples who have a strong loving bond together.'sweet little girl'is wonder's most funniest erotic song in his entire catalogue,but it is done in good taste.the song is split in half:part vocal and part talk rap.the track's subject matter is a hunger from the man waiting in vain for his woman to make love to him.in a spoken word slow rap tone wonder implies:'come on now honey-sugar,you know your baby loves you,more than i love my clavinet.so baby,do me good,do me good baby'...near the song's ending wonder tries to influence his woman to make love to him by taking her to see the classic 1971 movie"sweet,sweetback"(a film by melvin van peebles)by the song's conclusion he begged her to the very end to no avail.'happier than the morning sun'is one of wonder's most simplest of melodies that is so heartfelt and warm.the melody although very simple in sound with just wonder's classic voice and clavinet.it's the type of song that you could wake up to in the morning when the sun is shinning it's rays through your window.the song's lyrics are not complex in any way,but they are simple enough for you to understand the song's meaning about simple happy love about the sweet lady that he has found:'all my life i was alone,didn't think i'd find my part,now i see there's joy inside your arms'...i'm happier than the morning sun/and that's the way it will always be/ever since the day you came inside my life/bom bom bom-i love you...(this song's simple melody is a precursor twin to 'big brother'-a political song that would be on wonder's next album later in the same year of 1972-"talking book"...in fact,'you are the sunshine of my life'was written and recorded around this time which was inspired by his new girlfriend,gloria barley at the time and it could have been included on "music of my mind" but wonder saved the song for "talking book" he did not want to include the song on "music of my mind" because of his breakup with syreeta.)'girl blue'co-written with yvonne wright is a song that has a'bluedawn'feeling to it,with some of the greatest poetry ever written in a songpiece.the sound of this track reminds me of fall weather on a cloudy afternoon.this track is about a sad girl who is feeling down with depression as wonder cheers her up with beautiful lines of songpoetry:'in an instant there'll be sunshine sprinkled every place.drops of rain will kiss the softness of your lovely face'...a great poetic songpiece...'seems so long'the second and final loveballad on this album.words cannot describe how cool this song really is.i would have to put this song in wonder's top ten of his many classic loveballads.though it is often very much overlooked and ignored i rank it in the top ten of his collection of lovesongs.this song would fit nicely after 'superwoman'because both songs melodies are similar in style and composition.'seems so long'has wonder's keyboard mastery of the synthesizer with such glorious musical textures.it is amazing how wonder opens this track with a synthesized wind breeze as if one needed to put a jacket on when hearing the track's wind sounding introduction.despite the song's romantic sounding vibe,it is about having love and suffering without love when it leaves you.stevie intones this topic perfectly:'lady loved and lady cared,and lady went away,and left me all alone to suffer...lady loved and lady stayed,until she was too pleased she knew i wouldn't leave for her to suffer.i'd never make her suffer...by song's end he is on the rebound:'now i think i've found someone to make me trust in someone again'...'seems so long'is a song about losing and regaining love.'keep on running'is a relentless funk assault.although the lyrics are repetitive,the song's message can still be understood.this is a song about a man who is pursuing a woman who he desperately wants of which she keeps on running from his love for her and he informs her that the man that she is with is no good,and that he will break her heart.the powerful backing vocalists on this funk workout add to the tune's power and climatic ending.'evil'co-written with yvonne wright,is the final cut on this album and is his first gospel song of his new musical era.the song's opening somber synthesizer gospel chords is setting the tone for a spiritual revelation in wonder's music.in the song, wonder questions the evil forces that hurts the souls of humanity:'evil,why have you destroyed so many minds...leaving ,room for darkness where lost dreams can hide'...midway through this spiritual gospel saga,his backing vocalists give wonder outstanding backing support as their voices reach a heavenly crescendo,as wonder continue to question the negative forces of evil's wrath on society:'evil,why have you broken so many homes...leaving sweet love all alone,an outcast of the world'...this was the perfect song for wonder to conclude the first album of his new era.stevie wonder's "music of my mind" was the the first major milestone in his career.and as the album cover liner notes states:'this album is a gift to the spirit from one who really cares'...

Inspired Music

Éste fue el primer disco autoproducido por Stevie Wonder que compré y escuché. Antes de él, para mí Stevie era casi una incógnita. La versión remasterizada de "Music of my Mind" tiene un sonido realmente espectacular. El CD me sorprendió muchísimo, aunque me llevó algún tiempo digerirlo bien. Hay que aprenderlo a escuchar. Aunque reconozco que algunas canciones se me hacen un poco largas, como Superwoman, otras son sobervias. "Love Having You Around" y "Keep on Running" son funky y explosivas. "Happier than the morning sun" puede ser una de sus melodías más bellas. "Every Little Thing..." y "Sweet Little Girl" hacen honor a la mejor tradición del sonido Motown. Todo producido y tocado casi enteramente por Stevie. En definitiva, si bien no es su mejor álbum, es una puerta que abre mundos auditivos y que muestra la calidad de la música de Stevie Wonder.

Stevie, The Wonder!

Stevie Wonder has been called a genius for many years now, and I seriously find it hard to disagree with this. The man is simply amazing, and his talent is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Brilliant songwriter, lyricist, musician and person in general, he deserves every single accolade he receives, and then some.



On this early-1972 effort, Stevie is pretty much a one-man band (as said in the liner notes): with the exception of a guitar solo in one track, and a trombone solo in another track, Stevie plays *all* of the instruments; drums, clavinet, bass, organ, piano, harmonica, clavichord, synthesizers -- he does it all, and what's also astonishing is how adept he is at assembling these instruments to create works so beautiful, moving and captivating. Oh, and he also does most of the producing as well.



Some of my favorites from this album:



"Love Having You Around" is a song possibly written for Stevie's wife at the time. A steady groove is punctuated by various synthesizer textures and vocal effects which lead to a triumphant (although brief) chorus. The track is over seven minutes long, but it never drags, and seems like it ends all too quickly, since it's as engrossing as it is.



"Superwoman" is pretty much divided into two distinct halves. The first half is comprised of the most beautiful, intimate R&B to be heard. The brilliant jazzy chords and progressions maximize the dreamy, floating feel, and Stevie's breathy vocals are the guide to this ethereal, yet earthy masterpiece; it's the equivalent of a reflective Summer day, with a cool, gentle breeze for good measure. Almost equal to that of the dreamy artwork. The second half is a post-psychedelic, trippy, yet atmospheric smorgasbord of synthesizer-drenched chords, impassioned vocals and some guitar solos. Excellent stuff, here.



"Sweet Little Girl" is one of Stevie's pleasantly goofy character impersonation-filled tracks. On the verses, Stevie sings in his natural, beautiful voice, which is backed by a funky soundscape of the clavinet, bass, drums, and some harmonica. Then, on the chorus (if it's technically a chorus), the tempo changes, and he goes into this goofy, drawl-filled dialogue about how his girl treats him bad. It's hilarious as all hell.



"Happier Than The Morning Sun" is Stevie on the clavinet (or the clavichord, or synthesizer), and produces a song which is almost Paul McCartneyesque in it's melodicism. A beautiful song, and Stevie's vocals are sweet and pleasantly sugary. The keys that Stevie is using seems to mimic arpeggiated guitar chords.



"Keep On Running" is jittery, rapid-fire funk, and in some ways, it's ominous; as if we feel and sense that something in the shadows is about to jump out and grab us, as the lyrics suggest. The pulsating rhythm which embeds the melody is utterly foreboding, and Stevie's vocals sound slightly hazy, but not lacking the passion that is always present. But, in the least, this fast thing will get that old rump of yours shaking.



"Evil" is the most heart-wrenching track on the album. It's one of the earliest examples in regard to Stevie's socially-conscious musings; here, he talks about the evils of life (e.g. hatred, poverty.) It's a dramatic track, in which things start off low-key, only to escalate in atmosphere and dynamics as time progresses. The keys and synthesizers plow along, eventually reaching powerful orchestral crescendos and choir-like effects, and all along, Stevie's vocals get more intense, dramatic and emotive. All of this breaks me down everytime I hear the track; the passion in the guy's voice, alone, is enough to send one to tears.



There really isn't much more that I can say. Stevie's a genius, and his music is recommended to anyone who is willing to be moved by greatness, regardless of musical preference. You will probably want to own this, and everything up to 1976's _Songs In The Key of Life_, as it represents the best of Stevie Wonder. This album in particular will hold a special place in the hearts of many, due to it's unique, intimate charm.

undervalued classic

This may be a hard to find album in a few years. Superwoman is one of the many good songs on this album.

What a super album

If there is someone out there who is timid about buying this album, don't be. Superwoman (where were you when I needed you) is one of Stevie Wonder's best song. Immediately, in the beginning of the song, Stevie uses his lyrical skills to turn a simple statement like "very well" into a double-entendre, and just when I thought the song was ending, it broke into this wonderful melody displaying Stevie's superior skills in many instruments. Than, the vocals at the end are so amazing, and the way Stevie delivers the lyrics is even more amazing. This song is 8 minutes of sheer greatness, and this song alone should convince you to buy the album.

What can I say?

I first heard this album when I was 18 years old and had just moved in with my sister who is 14 years my senior. What a great move! I began to learn what real music is. Music that comes from the heart and gives you a glimpse of a person's soul. Super Woman is probably my favorite becuase of the powerful vocals on the second half, but Happier than the Morning Sun moves me to tears every time I hear it. I love this album and would recommend it to anyone who listens music to feel joy, love, happiness and even sadness in some parts. Good buy!