Stevie Wonder was one of those rare artists that got better with each album, especially when he left the Motown machine with a new contract and an artistic vision in 1971. Those early Motown singles are good; the '70s albums are even better, unified, optimistic achievements that were politically relevant, musically forward-thinking and always well-written.
This collection encompasses the best of Stevie's output, reaching back to the Motown days and hitting the mid-career highlights before petering out with the chintzy pop of "Part-Time Lover." At 21 tracks, it's a wonderful sampler of the man's career, leaving out a couple of necessary cuts but basically offering the major hits and highlights (and one lowlight, "I Just Called To Say I Love You") that the casual or new fan needs.
Little Stevie arrived at Motown and instantly hit in 1963 with the catchy "Fingertips, Pt. 2," which leads off the set. These singles have aged quite well, especially "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," "For Once In My Life," the lovely "My Cherie Amour" and the joyous "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours." Only "Hey Love" is a bit lacking, but since Wonder was 15, he gets a pass.
In 1971, Wonder got a new contract to do his own thing and releasd Music Of My Mind, the start of his prime period. Nothing from that disc is here, unfortunately, but the two major cuts from Talking Book are, the funky strut of "Superstition" and the simple pleasures of "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." The follow-up Innervisions is a stone classic front to back, with "Higher Ground" and "Living For The City" coming from that record ("Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" would have been a great third choice, but really, the whole album is worthwhile). Fulfillingness' First Finale was a bit of a letdown after those first three records but the Nixon swipe "You Haven't Done Nothin'" finds Wonder speaking for his generation in a way few others were at the time.
Wonder then poured his heart and soul into the double album Songs In The Key Of Life, with the infectious "I Wish" and the Ellington tribute "Sir Duke" selected to represent this sprawling piece of work. "Isn't She Lovely" would probably have been a better choice, given the target audience, but "Duke" is pretty good too. After releasing an oddball soundtrack, Wonder took some time off before coming back with Hotter Than July, but "Masterblaster (Jammin')" is an inert reggae-soul piece that never takes off. "Happy Birthday" would have been a better choice, as much for its musical reasons as its historical ones.
The final five songs come from Wonder's increasingly alarming 80s output. "That Girl" and "Do I Do" just lack the spark of before, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" is one of the cheesiest and worst songs of the decade – is Wonder using a kiddie Casio keyboard? – and "Part-Time Lover" would be trite in the hands of anyone else, but Wonder tries his best to make it work. Only the soul balladry of "Overjoyed" rises to the heights of the best stuff here.
With the best Motown singles, most of the best of the '70s classic albums and the necessary hit singles from the ‘80s, The Definitive Collection does exactly what a hits collection should: act as a wonderful sampler that whets the appetite for more.