Stevie Wonder is undoubtedly a living legend and national treasure we’ve all been blessed to experience in our lifetime. Most of us can’t remember a time when he wasn’t rightfully hailed as a musical genius. But while that’s always been true, it was his magnum opus Songs In The Key Of Life that solidified his legacy for generations to come. This week marked the album’s 50th anniversary and with that milestone came lots of fanfare. However, none has been more shocking than the surprise release of his new EP Songs In The Key Of Life - The EP, which contains four never-before-released songs from the Songs In The Key Of Life album sessions.
The most well-known song of the bunch is “I Can See The Sun In Late December.” It's not only known because Stevie has performed the song during television appearances and concerts, but because Roberta Flack recorded a completely reimagined version for her album Feel Like Makin' Love. This is the first time we get to hear Stevie’s recorded version of the touching ballad, though. It has all the hallmarks of his mid-1970s sound, with lush arrangements filled with guitar, bass and electric piano accentuating the ballad’s tender lyrics and Stevie’s one-of-a-kind voice.
The other songs are welcome new-to-us additions to Stevie’s oeuvre. “It’s Easier” has a sound that seems similar to “Love’s In Need Of Love Today.” The happy tone belies a more melancholy lyric about the necessary end of a relationship, as he sings on the chorus, “It’s easier to say ‘Love, bye bye’ / Than to go around / With a heart that wants to cry.” The same theme of heartbreak appears on “My Life Story Of Love,” which adopts a bit of bossa nova rhythm in its phrasing but stays soulful with Rhodes played by veteran session player Greg Phillinganes. On it, Stevie plays the ever-hopeless romantic who dreams of finding a love of his own only to be disappointed time and time again.
The brief set’s closer “I’m Into Livin’” gives us a peek into Stevie’s funkier side as he sings of his past life of partying hard and living large. However, he sings that it’s love that he’s living for these days over the arrangement’s squelchy early synth bass, electric piano and drums. He also keeps great company in the backing vocal department, with Shirley Brewer, Deniece Williams and Thelma Houston providing the sweet harmonies beneath his own vocals.
These four songs could have easily been the highlight of a deluxe 50th anniversary edition of Songs In The Key Of Life. By giving them their own spotlight on this EP, though, it allows each one to shine and gives listeners a glimpse of the genius behind the sessions that eventually birthed one of the greatest (and arguably the greatest) albums of all time.
Stevie Wonder Songs In The Key Of Life - The EP [Amazon][Apple Music][TIDAL]
