IRate 2010-02-13

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Stirring solidification of Wonder's singular talent as one of modern music's most infectious players, TB may not be heart-bursting-brilliant the whole way through, though remains a pillar of singer-songwriter evolution to this day.

M. Jones 2009-10-15

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This is a great ablum by Stevie that was written at a time when his personal life was suffering. His marriage to wife, Syreeta, was in trouble and in the midst of all of that, he put out this album. You can feel the inner struggles he was going through in the love ballads, 2 of which were co-written with Syreeta.

This album is one were Stevie's creative muscles are truly flexed with his songwriting. He has some great musicians who contributed to the record, Ray Parker Jr., Jeff Beck, Denise Williams, David Sanborn, and others. "You are the Sunshine of My Life" & "Superstition" where the 2 biggest hits, however, my personal favorite is "Big Brother" which is lyrical poetry & social dynamite as only Stevie can do it!

This is a wonderful LP, although, different from "Music of My Mind" and the follow up masterpiece "Innervisions" it's stands on it's own as meaningful album. Many of the songs have been covered by other artist off of this record & that's no accident. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to begin their Journey with one of the true Masters of music history.

Matthew G. Sherwin 2009-10-07

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Talking Book has nothing but excellent music by Stevie Wonder, one of the greatest singers/songwriters/musicians/producers/social activists--and more--of all time; this is one of his truly special albums. Indeed, this CD is a must-have for any Stevie Wonder fan. Stevie never misses a beat on this CD and that's fantastic. The quality of the sound is very, very good and I like that artwork, too.

"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" starts the album off with a stunning number; Stevie handles this with panache and that music fits in perfectly with his vocals. Great! His excellent sense of phrasing also enhances his performance. "Maybe Your Baby" has a funky beat to it that I always enjoy, especially when Stevie does it--what a great tune this is! "Maybe Your Baby" features Stevie at his usual very best and I love every minute of it. In addition, "You And I" gets a most sensitive treatment from Stevie who delivers this to perfection--and beyond! That piano arrangement is faultless and I really like "You And I;" it's a perfect song for weddings and those lyrics couldn't have been written any better.

"Tuesday Heartbreak" just plain sounds good even after all these years; Stevie's style is classic and that's saying a lot! Stevie handles complex tempo and key changes seemingly effortlessly; but of course we know it really wasn't all that easy. Stevie Wonder's talent carries him through every time. "You've Got It Bad Girl" has some additional vocals--not that Stevie ever needed extra or backup vocals but they do sound pretty good anyway. "You've Got It Bad Girl" is very well done and I love that musical arrangement.

"Superstition" remains one of Stevie's best numbers ever; just one listen will tell you why! That funky, rocking beat is infectiously catchy and Stevie sings passionately with all his heart and soul. "Superstition" is easily a major highlight of this CD. "Big Brother" has Stevie again doing his best--and how's about that harmonica? It all holds its own very well. "Blame It On The Sun" has an elegant piano arrangement and that percussion helps, too, as Stevie sings this from the very bottom of his heart. Its poignancy and that sense of sadness make "Blame It On The Sun" another huge highlight of this album.

"Lookin' For Another Pure Love" is also very easy on the ear; songs like this really blow me away with Stevie's outstanding, singularly talented way to sing out a ballad so beautifully! The album ends very well with Stevie Wonder performing "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)." "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)" has a flavor to it that leaves me wanting more!

Stevie Wonder gave so much of himself with this album and all the rest; we are so much better off for his sharing his talents with us. Not only is this awesome for any fan of Stevie Wonder, it also makes a great starter CD for people just getting into the magical artistry of Stevie Wonder.

mianfei 2009-04-12

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With Music of My Mind from earlier in 1972, Stevie Wonder created one of the best black albums of all time. In doing so he brought forward methods of making music that many have tried to emulate but none have achieved the same degree of success with. The way in which, by playing all the instruments, Wonder managed to create a dense, visceral sound that expressed almost every potential romantic emotion from ecstasy to despair and fear.

"Talking Book" has come to be regarded as one of the definitive examples of 1960s and 1970s black activism and consistently makes lists of the best albums ever among more mainstream music magazines. However, overall, it lacks the creativity and fire not only of its predecessor, but also of its follow-up Innervisions. This absence is most apparent on the slower pieces on the first side of the record: neither "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" nor "You and I" has the moving quality of such songs as "Happier than the Morning Sun", "Girl Blue" or even "Golden Lady". The romantic pieces on the second side, especially the touchingly beautiful "Blame It on the Sun", do make up for this to a considerable extent. Nevertheless, no matter how hard he tries Stevie Wonder never had the voice to emulate a song like "Sunset": he would have been better sticking to a slightly more funkier style. The message of "Big Brother" also sounds rather too muted to be as effective as it might have been.

However, there is reason for "Talking Book"'s exalted reputation when one moves to the more uptempo material. The little-known "Tuesday Heartbreak" stands as a true gem with its remarkably finely put-together electronic funk and a vocal from Wonder whose piercing power might not be expected even from a fan. The combination of piano and synthesiser was never matched by Ferry and Eno. The midtempo "You've Got it Bad Girl" has a pleasingly jazzy feel and is the best pure love song on "Talking Book." It is with the really "tough" material that "Talking Book" proves Wonder capable of so much more than almost every other musician. Second track "Maybe Your Baby", featuring Ray Parker Junior of Ghostbusters fame, has melodies that are amazingly tuneful yet so distorted as to be passionate in a harsh kind of way. Wonder's vocal together with the backgrounds creates a wonderful sense of fury occasionally tempered by quiet that provides little relief. Then there is "Superstition", justly one of the most famous songs of the error because of its superbly intelligent yet simple lyrics and equally sophisticated-yet-simple funk sound. It was said of "Superstition" that the song fitted the unsettled mood of the Nixon era perfectly - a fair comment for a song that possess every requisite quality to be an absolute classic both in pop and funk.

All in all, despite what the critics say, "Talking Book" is not as strong as "Music of My Mind", but with several songs of the highest quality it is still distinctly worth owning.

B. E Jackson 2008-12-05

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Stevie Wonder is a magnificent songwriter, in case you haven't heard! I'm sure you have. He had four classic albums in the 70's, and Talking Book fits right in, and may even be THE best album Stevie Wonder ever made.

It's really *really* tough to decide which is his very best album; all I know is that Talking Book is very good from beginning to end. It's funky most of the time, maybe the funkiest album he made in the 70's. There's break-up lyrics that are emotionally interesting, but the main thing that might make this Stevie's best album (and surely a classic) is the extraordinary songwriting.

Every single song offers a highly enjoyable vocal melody, and another interesting thing is how the background instruments on this album feel really detailed and creative. The rhythm section, the amount of instrumental variety that carries along with the vocal melodies... it's a really special album with lots of detail in the music.

The vocals on "Maybe your Baby" rule a lot, and some of the lesser known songs are just as good as the classics, such as "Tuesday Heartbreak" and "Big Brother". The closer, "I Believe", is perhaps the greatest song on the entire album, thanks to Stevie's singing style. An album you NEED to listen to!