Published on Jul 12, 1999
After having three albums in a row win the Grammy award for Best
Album, Stevie Wonder got a little too ambitious and produced the
bomb,
Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, a concept album
about…well…plants. His 1980 release,
Hotter Than July, was a pivotal album in that Wonder had to
bounce back and show the world he was still a viable artist.
Did he succeed? For the most part, yes.
Hotter Than July is a good, solid album but it is not quite
up to the level of his greatest works such as
Talking Book or
Innervisions.
That said, there is a lot to recommend on
Hotter Than July. He starts right off the bat like he means
business with a funky piece of joy called “Did I Hear You Say You
Love Me”. This seques very well into “All I Do”, a simmering slower
tune with a catchy chorus and some nice backup vocals.
“As If You Could Read My Mind” is another funky tune highlighted
by an excellent synthesized rhythm that makes a nice counterpoint
to Wonder’s harmonica solo. “Do Like You” and “Cash In Your Face”
are lesser tunes but they have plenty of beat for those that like
to dance.
Wonder explores other musical idioms on
Hotter Than July. He shows he can do a decent reggae on the
hit “Master Blaster (Jammin’)”. Another genre he tackles with less
success is the country/western meets R&B sounds of “I Ain’t
Gonna Stand For It”. On paper, it must have been an interesting
idea, but Wonder’s country singing in the verses is just as bad as
Todd Rundgren’s excersion into country: “Range War”. It just proves
that country singing isn’t as easy as it looks.
Wonder’s balladeering is strong as usual. “Lately” is a very
pretty old-fashioned type tune. And then there’s the more
contemporary “Rocket Love” which recalls Michael Jackson’s style of
singing, not surprising since Jackson’s megahit album
Off The Wall was all over pop and R&B radio at the time
this was being recorded.
I have two minuses with
Hotter Than July. While it has its share of good songs,
there is nothing here that comes close to matching his best work.
It lacks those two or three killer songs that would make this a
great album.
The second minus is the final song “Happy Birthday” which is
Wonder’s plea to turn Martin Luther King’s birthday into a holiday.
At best, it sounds like a commercial jingle for the cause, but it
becomes very preachy toward the end. I don’t disagree with the
message but I feel Wonder has tackled other issues with more flair
than he does here.
So
Hotter Than July is a well done album that is a little off
by Wonder’s high standards. I would recommend picking up his 1970’s
albums over this one (except for the one with plants), and if you
like what you’ve heard there, then this would be a nice addition to
your collection.