Pleasant enough, but I wanted to hear more from the new Stevie Wonder, the Stevie as introduced on the A-side, the Stevie as we now know him. Whatever the reasons for exhuming Purple Rain Drops, this just isn’t him any more. (4)
Back in 1962, Motown had marketed Stevie as “the 12 Year Old Genius”. Uptight marks one of those rare occasions where the marketeers – probably by accident, but still – turned out to have been right all along. (9)
Yet again when writing about a Stevie 45 from this weird between-the-wars period, this feels like something of a pointless exercise. (4)
At worst, this is several older men indulging themselves at a starlet’s expense; at best, it’s some people we don’t really know all that well having a blast at someone else’s party, while we turn up late and then stand by the punch bowl and try to work out who’s who. (4)
Stevie’s future was so bright, it’s almost impossible to think it might never have happened; but as enjoyable as High Heel Sneakers ends up being, Motown weren’t going to keep greenlighting these things forever. (5)
Although it sounds a bit rusty compared to the older and wiser ’65-model Stevie we’ve started to get used to, this turns out to be a more mature and considered piece than Wonder’s actual new records have been of late. (4)
Far from Stevie’s worst A-side, but yet another disappointing entry in what was fast becoming a disappointing canon; Motown must have wondered if he’d ever land another big hit again. (3)
A single-scoop serving of pleasing low-key balladry, and it’s obviously a decent song, but it’s got less to do with Stevie Wonder than anything since he dropped the “Little” from his name, and as such it needs to be seen as a step backwards, nice enough though it is. (5)
It might sound like damning with faint praise to call this probably Stevie’s best single since his big breakthrough with Fingertips. (6)
A morose little song about heartbreak, self-doubt and suicide, backed with all sorts of movie trappings (flurries of horns and Debussy strings and twanging bass and stately drums) even though it’s not actually from a movie. (4)
Even though it’s both stupid and tacky, a pointless step in the wrong direction, I can’t bring myself to hate it, not even a little bit. (3)
Motown Junkies 