stevie wonder / albums

While it's not quite the definitive compilation it could have been, the double-disc Song Review: Greatest Hits is still a good overview of Stevie Wonder's long, prolific career. Skipping over "Fingertips, Pt. 2" and picking up with "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and "I Was Made to Love Her," Song Review runs through the next three decades, hitting most of his biggest hits along the way, including "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," "Superstition," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Higher Ground," "Living for the City," "I Wish," "Master Blaster (Jammin')," "Ebony and Ivory," "I Just Called to Say I Love You," and "Part-Time Lover." Unfortunately, none of the songs are presented in chronological order. It begins in the '80s, switches to the '70s, hits the '80s again before going back to the '60s -- in other words, it's not really coherent. Nevertheless, most of Wonder's best-known and a good cross-section of his very best songs, making Song Review a fine, but not perfect, introduction to his career. [The import edition cuts 12 tracks and adds "He's Misstra Know it All" and "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide