Stevie Wonder-As

Ssw him last night on the Grammys! Stevie Wonder was the best artist of the 70's and certainly one of the musical greats of our times. I just listened to Songs in the Key of Life last week, first time in years and I forgot hopw great this collection of music was and still is!!

In an effort to reconcile Audiofeil's comments with others in a productive and educational way, you can see both Mr Wonder's talent and girth in the PBS special "We Love Ella".

Coincidentally, I was listening to "If its Magic" and "As" last night on my PC based desktop system.

To my ear, those two tracks are so different, but transition from one to the next in a very beautiful and flowing way - the type of magic that you can find throughout that album even after years of listening.

Songs in the Key of Life definitely helped me to become an audiophile and learn to calibrate turntables and speaker placement. Musicquarium is also a classic. The Secret Life of Plants was also interesting, with similarly layered sounds, voices and instruments.

The earlier stuff I also like, but IMO had a grittier and less layered sound, both in terms of music and the quality of the recordings.

My vote is also in the "genius" camp.

At some point in the last presidential campaign someone asked Obama about his favorite music. He mentioned a handful of artists, but he absolutely effused about Stevie Wonder and specifically mentioned the string of albums from "Music Of My Mind" through "Fullfillingness First Finale". It's an amazing string of pop albums that only a few other artists have ever matched. And if you don't believe me, go ask the President of the United States!

I messed up. Yes Onhwy61 what an oversight on my part to not mention "Fulfillingness First Finale" along with Stevie Wonder's other great recordings.

I have been in the concert space for three decades and my favorite performance of all time was a private show Stevie played for a Bay Area software company in 2000. Despite telling the audience that he might "cut it short due to a bout of the Flu", he then proceeded to play a 4 hour concert. A living treasure without equal; the Duke Ellington of my generation, and a truly inspiring musician I never tire listening to.