Album Essentials: Stevie Wonder - "Signed, Sealed & Delivered"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Consider this for a moment if you will, in 1970, Stevie Wonder released his 12th album, the now classic 'Signed, Sealed & Delivered.' At the time of release, he had only recently turned 20, 12 albums into his career, and just two years out of his teens?! That's not a standard story or path, then again, Stevie Wonder has never been a standard artist, but rather an artist who sets standards.
He first topped the U.S. charts at the tender age of 13, with a little raver titled 'Fingerprints Pt. 1,' and though it would be a couple years before he made a return to the Top 10, the man was off and running at a very young age. From 'Fingertips' and 'Uptight' through 'A Place In The Sun' and 'I Was Made To Love Her,' the hits kept coming, and Wonder kept growing as a musician, artist, and producer.
As the 1960s gave way to the '70s, black music in America was taking on radical new sounds and shapes, with people like George Clinton, Marvin Gaye, and Curtis Mayfield, all expanding on the tried-and-true sounds that had established them. Changing times brought changing ideas, and Stevie was right there with them, pushing himself and his talent to new heights with every release. As his first album of the new decade, it was clear Wonder was ready to explore somewhat, if not fully prepared for a huge leap.
The album kicks off with 'Never Had A Dream Come True,' a sweet soul shuffle that is a perfect opener. Co-written by Wonder, with songwriters Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, it's a good bridge from one decade to the next. Released as a single, it cracked the Billboard Top 30. A total of four singles were released from the LP, including his fantastic cover of the Beatles 'We Can Work It Out.' He put his own spin on the Lennon/McCartney jewel to truly make his own, and it shot to No. 13. The title track made No. 3, while 'Heaven Help Us All' hit No. 9.
From start to finish, the album is a block of solid soul that more than rises to the occasion, with Stevie firmly in his element here. The famous music critic Robert Cristgau called 'Signed, Sealed & Delivered' "the most exciting LP by a male soul singer in a very long time, it slips into no mold," declaring it "the best soul album of 1970."
Despite having four hit singles released in the line-up, the album was only a minor success, peaking at No. 25. It was the first album for which Wonder had a hand in the production, or at least the first he received any production credit, and though he co-wrote around half of the album's tracks, his songwriting had yet to come into full bloom. With his next album, 1971's 'Where I'm Coming From,' Wonder would take the reins on both production and writing and truly begin to come into his own.
This 1970 LP is first class in many ways, and despite any flaws, it ebbs and flows like a classic that has been served well by time. It is a pivotal album in Wonder's wondrous catalog, and truly is essential!