Fulfillingness

You know, as much of a joke as Stevie Wonder has largely become since the end of the 70s (with rare one-off tracks of brilliance like Skeletons and Overjoyed), it never ceases to amaze me how utterly peerless his 70s output was. Vivid, warm, innately human at its core. I pulled Talking Book and Fulfillingness' First Finale out and it is hard to imagine the R&B/Soul genre without songs like Superstition, You've Got it Bad Girl, I Believe, and one of my personal favorites, Boogie On Reggae Woman. Even lesser knowns are stunning testaments to a man gifted with an impeccable rhythmic sense and a melodic architect bar none. It is really wild to think one man conceived of Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away and Creepin' on the same album. And it wasn't without substance. Love songs were tender but not contrived, and societal critiques were hopeful for the future even when damning the present.

Funk, Motown soul, jazz, and pop crafted into sweet confectionery.

He also had the most visceral, badass synth bass ever. The man must have a left hand like an octopus.