"Music is a world within itself / With a language we all understand." Released 50 years ago today, this is the eighteenth studio album by music legend Stevie Wonder. This album is a beast, coming at 105 minutes long on two CDs and streaming and originally released on two LPs with a 7" EP of bonus tracks. I'll admit it, I've been a big fan of music my whole life, but I haven't listened to enough of the classics, and boy am I glad I've given this one a listen a few times in the last few years. I certainly understand why many consider this one of the best albums of all time, as Stevie Wonder is making excellent music throughout this. Mr. Wonder's songs comprise many types of music, including funk, jazz, R&B, classical as well as pop into this Motown Records release. Surprisingly, the song I most recognize is "Pastime Paradise", as it is the basis for Coolio's rap hit "Gangsta's Paradise", but there's so many other good moments here. I'm a fan of a long, epic song, and there's actually 7 tracks here with a runtime of over six minutes. "Confusion" is a great instrumental jazz/funk track too. From this listen, I think my favorites were "Have A Talk With God", "Sir Duke", "Isn't She Lovely", and "Black Man". If you have not given this album a listen or if it's been a few decades (or even more), set aside a bit of time and give it a listen for its 50th anniversary.

Release Year: 1976
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