Stevie Wonder "A Time To Love" Album Review

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Thanks for the review, i'll listen to it

Glad youre as much a Stevie connoseur as I am.

It's a good album. It's not "Songs in the Key of Life" It's not even "Innervisions" or "Talking Book" but even Steveland himself couldn't even top those. Just like Michael can't top "Thriller"

I don't think this album will be overhyped. Or at least not as much as "Musicology" The reviewer was right. That was overhyped. As a true fan, I know this isn't Stevie's best work but after "Conversation Peace" it's pretty damn good and it's worthy of a listen.

It's much better than Anita Baker's "My Everything" 10 years for that crap? Ugh! I was greatly disappointed. But Stevie doesn't disappoint here. Again, it's not "Songs.." but it's good and it will satisfy even Stevie's die hard fans.

Mr. Wonder has released some earth shattering works of art and I would include this release to the mix!

The vocals and the mix itself are extrodinary. The clarity of the sound itself simply amazes me. Play this record on a decent sound system and you will hear what I mean. The best mixed album I've heard in a long time. Nobody does it better than Stevie and Michael Jackson when it comes to the recording process itself.

The song "Moon Blue" will become a classic. Listen to the vocals on that particular track to see feel the drama. It's a slow jam type of song. It glides along with a most perfect flow.

In my opinion, it's the best track on the album.

The last track "A Time To Love" is a show stopper! It pulls the whole album together. It's a very dramatic piece. The emotion of the track simply builds into a crescendo (sp) but perhaps in a laid back sort of way. It sort of reminds me of the classic Stevie Wonder song "Another Star" from another era.

The genius Stevie Wonder strikes again!

Let The Music Play!

Al Ferguson

I disagree with you on this. I believe that this Ranks with th egreta Stveie albums. I am a Stevie fan and hasrh critic. I agree that the past few albums are not up to his high standard of your Phase 1 but... "Conversation Peacce" had som estellar songs- "Sensuous Whisper"? As for this one- How could you look past the awesome arrangements and orchestrations on "My Love Is On Fire" and "Passionate Raiindrops"? "A Time To Love" is superb, though I'm not thrilled with the early over use of the Idnian percussion. All of the songs are fully worked and there are no throw away songs here. Even "So What The Fuss" (my eakest song) has some new breath with the non-radio avmp at the end. Give the album more listens- It has lots of GREAT music on it. Ask some musicians what they think. It has the true Stevie chord changes that make you go "Where'd he think of that from?" Stevie's problem is that he makes his complex music sound so simple and listener friendly. That's why musicians appreciate him so much more than the general public.

hmm - got it today off the I-Tunes

It's OK. I love Stevie so I'm pretty forgiving.

I just wish it didn't have to be so programmed.
It's crying out for more live drumming, and suffers from stiff rhythm programming.

I disagree with you. This album ranks with "Songs.." "Innervision" and those. It is so musical- Listen to the orchestrations and background vocals! And the chord changes are typical Stevie- How did he come up with that? Not being a musician, I ask musicians and they say that is one of his great traits, that he makes such odd changes sound completely comfortable. Yet, he's doing such creative stuff that jazz musicians listen to it! Everytime I think that the songs aren't as strong as the Big 5, I just hear "My Love Is On Fire" or "Passionate Raindrops" and thik of who would cover them.

yes - I agree the melodies and harmonies are marvellous - it's just a shame there's a lack of groove and flow in most of the tracks, because they've been over-quantized. Especially the drum parts. If Stevie had hired the guys who do Justin Timberland's beats - wo! that would really make the difference.

JYEAH. STEVIE IS BACK. I BEEN PRAISING THIS SHIT SINCE TIME. Lets not listen to Jay pouring coldwater on this shit, this album is great. Stop talking about the good ol days I like this shit as it is in '05.

if you had 2 cd players and played one song from his classic albums and then one song from "A TIME 2 LOVE" you will see&hear what this man has done,this album compete's with his classic's.it's just a shame how non musical producers win grammy's,for writing songs that will be outdated by the end of the year and when a legend does another great album we say oh but it's still not as good as...please, this guy is foolproof,this album is stella,I can listen to the whole cd nonstop!thanks stevie you da man!

This album is 78 minutes of sheer bliss. Nearly twice as much as your old vynyls. So maybe you need work on your attention span.

Its an album of great variety all dealing with the varying angles of many types of Love. It's a concept album that needs to be assimilated over time.

When we start comparing this with other works we loose the plot. Why go in with expectations?

Every track on here stands out as a monumental triumph of music making. There is Hip-Hop, Jazz, Ballads, Dance, Blues and Funk. With such variety how could one possibly lose interest half way through?

I'd like to pick standout tracks but really they are too many to mention in this short post.

Get this album, it will be the best you've bought in many a year.

Phase 3 Stevie? Amigo please! This ain't Phase 3 stuff! And someone needs to give this a listen again. There is more live drumming than not! Justin Timberlake beats? Amigo, again, please! This album is a classic!! I cannot imagine where this negativity comes from concerning this album. But if you, as you say America, want to "hate" on this album and on Stevie Wonder, go on and do so. Meanwhile, the TRUE Stevie Wonder fans will enjoy this album for what it is. A gem. A classic.
Stevie! Vaya Con Dios!

A Time 2 Love is a Monument, a real artistic tour-de-force, knowumean? All the Stevie's essence plus is there.

When listenin' to it you can understand what the man meant by " I Have a Vision". He conceived a Music that u can "see", touch as well as u can feel.

I really didn't expect that from him, thank u Man. See how cristal the songs sound? Each song is a living entity, a completed device. Yeah, that's it, those songs in A Time 2 Love are devices, sounds in motion, sounds constructed by a Master. Some of the songs sound so fresh, some other sound cristal, some other liquid, some other tonic, n' you can go on.

A Time 2 Love is a Classic, a Masterpiece in my judgement, all previous Stevie's productions considered. I feel like sayin' A Time 2 Love is the work of a "Eivets", a reinvented "Stevie", knowumsayin'? every detail is crafted, treated with delicacy, love, grace.

The result is a whole album that don't seem to belong in as pecific time. When hearin' A Time 2 Love, u have an impression of a Stevie u knew before, yet u have the exact contrary feelin' that's a whole new Stevie. A Time 2 Love is both Traditional n' Innovative, the 2 into 1. Stevie seems to've conceived it in a time that's his own, pickin' whatever his mind offered him to fulfill the highest artistic ambition he obviously aimed for this joint.

See how he plays with the notion of time, the accelerations, regressions, suspensions, multi-directions, it's just sublime, fantastic, blissful.

I avoid not to mention any particular songs, for if i did, i then'd've to mention the totality of 'em. Each song got it's magic.

A Time 2 Love is a Wonder encyclopedy, Where he's coming from, a Talking book, an Innervision, Songs that are in the key of life, a journey through his secret life, a Music Hotter than July, a Circle inscribed inside a square, songs with Characters n' personality, music to give u Fever in the jungle, a Conversation about Peace, all that plus.

A Conceptor's back with a conception of his own, thank u. I really couldn't've dreamed Stevie coulda been that baaaaad! See how he uses the vocals, how he ponctuates, accentuates. See how his vocals those of India.Arie? Whaddabout the lyrics??? See how he paints let's the rain (shower of cymbals)?

A celebration, a feast, no less. Thank u Stevie. If we'd to wait, there was good reason for it. Thanks to all artists involved in the project. Thanks to all technicians n' engineers. Thanks to all studios. Thanks to everybody involved in the project.

A Time 2 Love's a Master's plan. The use of female artists seemes to obey a plan. the use of guest-stars too.

Whoever said that there isn't enough live drumming on this album didn't listen to the same album I did. Stevie hasn't played acoustic drums on his albums for many years, and now, FINALLY Stevie is behind the kit once again. There is less programming here than on any Stevie album since Hotter Than July (I'm not counting Musiquariam). I'm enjoying the album very much.

I am a massive stevie fan and am definately going to buy the album when it goes out in sale in the shops. I just want to know if this album really is as good as his old stuff or are ye maybe over exaggerating because ye love stevie so much and he can do no wrong in your eyes?

Shane, only you can discern that my brother! Personally, I think it's right up there with his other works but music always evolve like everything else.

Go out and buy the record and listen to it and then form your own opinion.

One thing I have learned is to never, ever listen to what the professional critics have to say. We are all different as our likes and dislikes are what shape us.

Al Ferguson

It really is MOSTLY programmed drums

Through your review, I know exactly what kind of album the new Stevie is. A pity, really. But anyway, we know what we have with those great albums he once recorded.
And I like your phase 1-3 theory.
Thanks.

This album is great!! I didn't new what to expect after Conversation Peace, but this is Stevie Wonder at his very best!! I think it's as good as the old classics, just what I wanted.

To Shane Doherty:

i believe i get you very well. i was in the same state o' mind when i heard eulogies, (FOXnews). i was skeptical. i thought they couldn't be right. Stevie's golden days were behind him. i thought people were kinda generous.

now that i've listened to the songs myself, now that i got the cd (yes i do! 'twas out in Paris since early thursday!), my verdict is that you might even say this is Stevie's best body of works ever. all the beauty plus is there. all the elegance is there. all the magic is there. this new music is like a rebirth, a renaissance.

i sed it, i say it, i'll say it again, AT2L is a MASTERPIECE. it's not a matter of exaggeratin' nothin'. in fact everythang good u can say 'bout the album is still not good enuff to describe it. u have to hear it for yourself. there are things Stevie does vocally here he ain't done in his "old stuff" before.

yes, it's that great, n' don't think i'm the kind to nod at ev'ry Stevie's production. what i say is a fair opinion based on what my ears've heard.

I think the reviewer has nicely categorized stevies musical history. However, I can remeber when the phase 2 stuff came out and I was not wowed until I listened, and listened and listened and then couldn't stop listening. That IS what defined the phase 2 music. let's face it. we all know this as longtime Stevie fans. The complexety and richness of his music and lyrics is the genius that draws us. I'm not yet placining it in phase 2 but it is the first album since then that I can't stop listening to. Maybe, just Maybe, this is phase 4.

I just want to say that I totally agree with the people that are talking highly about this album. Its fantastic...someone said above that you have to listen to it, and listen to it. Then, you'll get it. Its a phenomenal album. Stevie has DONE IT! I guarantee if they promote this album properly and put those singles out there, this will go down as another Stevie album that young folks and old folks will be talking about and singing with for years.

I am a drummer by the way, and my guess is its a solid blend of acoustic and electonic drums. Some songs I'm pretty sure have both recorded together. And, I think they both sound fantastic. For old school Stevie fans that haven't heard it yet, I'm telling you, if you're a real fan who really LISTEN to his works, you'll see this as a very satisfying addition to his classic collection. Some songs are like him in the sixties, some from the seventies, eighties, and some very new Stevie from the 21st century...YOU"LL DIG IT>> Getit! and tell all you know...This is REAL R&B...Great Job Stevie...see you on tour!

To yofriend:

"Through your review, I know exactly what kind of album the new Stevie is":

this i'm sure is the falsest statement u ever done made in yo life, believe me. u're up to BIG SURPRISES ahead (LOL)

"A pity, really":

i betcha hardly ever done had an untruer opinion (LOL)

"But anyway, we know what we have with those great albums he once recorded":

u also wrong there. ya'll hear stuff that'll make u ask whether u sure u ever knew Stevie before. this music fulfills a true SW fan's highest expectations. as asoon as u hear the album, please let us know. i'm curious to have yo impresions then (LOL)

A Time 2 Love / (A Clock 2 Heart) is ALL STEVIE WONDER we been lovin', plus. . .

I agree with the initial review. Although the cd has moments, you can't help but compare it to some of Stevie's greatest albums. In that context it doesn't shine too much. The drum programming definitely hurts the album but the music and vocals bring the work up to par. At any other time in R&B adult contemporary music this album would be average or possibly sub-par but, with today's music climate I think it's one of the best albums on the rack. Worth the wait? maybe/maybe not. Worth buying? yes. In my opinion this album is another shade of the great musical career of an amazing artist.

Love the album! 'specially My love is on fire. Wow that rythmsection (someone complained about lack of drumming..?) and transparent groove are phenominal. The build-up and dynamics of I can't imagine love without you are also great. Note the modulations in the ending. Weird but great.
Some programmed beats are a shame, like in from the bottom of my heart it sounds kind of cheap, but some songs from stevies classic albums also lack of a good groove (like maybe your baby). This album is the first album of Stevies where the compositions and arrangements all come together. Thats a good thing. Most songs sound really complete, like everything falls in it's place.
Thanx Stevie!

Dissapponted, expected a lot more after such a break. Nothing new here. Not a patch on his early stuff. Nothing stands out for me.
Sorry

If you're a Stevie Wonder fan .. buy it. If you're not a Stevie Wonder fan, BUY IT and you'll learn where all of todays, so-called r'n'b 'talents' picked up their vocal skills.
If you back track to the previous albums you will find some of the best riffs that have been sampled to create much of todays music

Just bought the new album- WOW I've only bin alive long enuf to see 2 Stevie albums come out- Conversation peace and now AT2L! I think that his earlier albums especially "Songs..." couldn't possibly be topped (the same applies to MJ's Thriller) but this album is certainly a work of art. Stevie's diversity never ceases to amaze me. If you haven't bought it yet.... you betta (lol)

YOU KNOW, i GET PRETTY TIRED OF PEOPLE SAYING EVERYTIME STEVIE PUTS OUT A NEW ALBUM, THE ALWAYS RESPOND WITH A COMMENT "It's not another Songs in the Key of Life". I'M PRETTY SURE THAT IN THE 10 YEARS HE SPENT PUTTING "AT2L" TOGETHER,HE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF DUPLICATING "SITKOL". WONDER HAS NOT IN ANY WAY LOST HIS CREATIVE JUICES, THIS ALBUM PROVES IT.

I am a big Stevie Wonder fan and I would say this is his best album since the "Phase 2" albums mentioned in the review. Several songs have been recorded with a band and there are many good songs (albeit a couple that won't be remembered). The album IS worth the wait.

I gotta say that I've been reading reviews of the album and one thing that has got to annoy the hell outta Stevie and other amazing artists like him is how some people are never satisfied. I've seen some reviews criticizing him because it doesn't sound like his music from the 70's, and I've also seen some reviews where they say certain songs from this new album sound too much like certain songs from the 70's. I mean people, listen, Stevie's music is very personal and he's said himself, if you want to know about me, listen to my music. Why would Stevie write songs that sound like songs he wrote when he 22 years old? Its ridiculous! The guy is living in the now, NOT over 30 years ago. The music back then was much different back then, the times are much different now. If he wrote an album that sounded like Innervisions, it wouldn't be much of an advancement, would it? This is Stevie at 55 years old...he's a different man now. So, he's writing style is different. It doesn't mean its not good, just different. And, if some people would stop talking and listen instead, maybe you'd hear how good these new songs really are. Keep listening to it, and soon you'll see how great a lot of these songs are...keep working it Stevie!

While in the end, A Time 2 Love covers a wide variety of styles and tempos, it first comes off as slick and a little muted. I was quite disappointed---initially. Give it three or four plays and these objections pass.

For me, the ballads range from classic Stevie ("Can't Imagine Love Without You", "Moon Blue") to marginal at best ("True Love", "Shelter in the Rain"), but everything else works on at least some level. The first and last tracks are as visionary and necessary as the best cuts on Songs in the Key or Innvervisions (Characters too) and
that's saying something! My favorites---at least this weekend are "My Love Is On Fire" (not my usual bag, but what a hook and Stevie really nails the verses), "So What The Fuss" (shame, shame!) and "Positivity" (like a new millennium Jackson Five riff). 8 or 9 out of 10!! Great job Stevie!!!!

Fabulous!
Lyrics available there http://www.stevie-wonder.com/album/id_102_A_Time_To_Love.html

I'm glad that there are so many great post here. Most of them are thoughtful and offer a good analysis of the album. Even those that are tinged with personal taste seem to be fair.

When you evaluate Stevie by his former work, you prepare an inaccurate vision of his current output. It's not an Innervision. LOL. Know what I mean?

This albums seems to take from many incarnations of his musical genius. The continued genius of that is he establishes love for a new song even if it reminds you of one of his prior songs.

I agree with the post that point out that sometimes the complexity of his music appears to be simple to others. He's mixed things so seamlessly that on some level it appears to our minds this way.

There should be another part of our mind that gets the complexity. I'm a printer and after you realize that printed images are the result of overlaid pixels you have a different take on them.

It seems like most people evaluate music through the ears of someone else they respect. It's almost like people evaluate most forms of entertainment that way.

If you're a fan of Stevie, pick up the DVD or Video that shows the making of Songs in the Key of Life. It will give you a much greater respect for his creative process.

I guarantee you that he has volumes of unreleased music in his vault that rivals the national archives.

I guarantee you that his unreleased material would blow your mind.

Most people don't get that even a great artist may be compelled to create something more commercially viable.

How many people even praised The Secret Life of Plants? Yet another musical genius, Prince, said he couldn't listen to it, because he liked it so much he thought it might influence his creative flow. I'm sure he doesn't say that about other popular artist.

Well, I'm rambled long enough. Good luck and good listening to all.

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can someone please post all the producers for the A Time 2 Love album please

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