Talking Book was published in 1972, just after the world tour that Stevie Wonder had undertaken as opening act for The Rolling Stones. That tour and this album made sure that the blind child prodigy of Motown finally broke through to the large (read: white) audience. Talking Book carefully strives for a balance between accessible, melodic ballads and fat funk. Side A therefore lacks some cohesion:
the transition from the sweet opener You Are The Sunshine Of My Life to the funkam Maybe Your Baby is pretty raw on the roof. On side B, that strict division is let go a bit and the songs merge nicely, ending in the jubilant final I Believe. The fact that the album is still known as an unrelenting classic is due to the consistently high level of the compositions, in which pop, soul and jazz merge beautifully. The sound with which Wonder would dominate the music world in the 1970s found its definitive form on this masterpiece. Superstition, with its irresistible riff on the clavinet, Stevie initially wrote for guitarist Jeff Beck. It became a huge worldwide hit for himself. (MS)more
