Stevie was asked to compare this record and Innervisions, and he said that this was a collection of better songs but Innervisions was a better overall statement, more thematically coherent and flowing.

The best songs here are tremendous - from clavinet - driven hard funk on "Superstition" to as sweet a ballad as you'll ever hear ("You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"), and that's just the #1 singles. (Also worthy of mention are the deeply funky "Maybe Your Baby" and the wistful/angry political ballad "Big Brother").

A lot of people swear by the ballads "You And I" and "Blame It On The Sun," although I find a lot of his other ballads more moving. And the album closer, "I Believe," is as close to a relevatory experience as an atheist like me will ever have. Incredibly enough, I think Innervisions is even better.

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A masterpiece. Amazingly, there isn't one weak track on the listing. The highlights are the funk classic "Superstition"; the ballad "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"; and Jeff Beck's marvelously understated guest appearance on the unforgettable "Looking For Another Pure Love".

"Blame It On The Sun" is one of my all-time favorite ballads, although Stevie seemingly could pump this kind of thing out in his sleep; just look at the multi-part vocal harmony on "I Believe." Guests include singer Jim Gilstrap (lead-in vocal on "You Are The Sunshine..."). (JA)

Wilson & Alroy's