Stevie Wonder had encountered his first serious critical backlash in a decade with 1979's Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants. Perhaps mindful of this, and the increased expectation created by the three year wait for said album, Wonder spent less than a year creating Hotter Than July, an album less intent on exploring new ideas and sounds than his recent output.
All I Do
The record opened with 'Did I Hear You Say You Love Me', a straight-up funk-pop track, replete with punchy horns and a catchy hook. The buoyant, energetic sound of the track was aided by the use of Wonderlove on backing vocals, creating a joyous close to the song, which quickly morphed into the Fender Rhodes-featuring 'All I Do', originally written by Wonder and Clarence Paul in the 1960s. The track is built on the strength of Wonder's emotive vocal, enhanced by Michael Jackson on backing vocals.
Wonder displays the range of his voice with 'Rocket Love', a more brooding ballad which survives some weak lyrics due to Wonder's vocal, and the Paul Riser-arranged strings. 'I Ain't Gonna Stand For It', a country-tinged track which reached number eleven on the pop charts, became one of the few tracks to suffer from Wonder's vocal, a poor imitation of a seasoned country-and-western crooner.
Master Blaster
Far more successful an attempt at a new genre is a track which became the centrepiece of the album - 'Master Blaster (Jammin')'. A reggae-tinged ode to Bob Marley, with whom Wonder had recently toured, and the newly free Zimbabwe. Wonder's hopeful lyrics have been changed during recent live performances, with the line 'Peace has come to Zimbabwe' normally replaced with celebrations of President Barack Obama. Unusually for a Wonder studio track, 'Master Blaster' featured an entire band, the artist only contributing Fender Rhodes and clavinet.
Two recurring themes of Wonder's work return for 'Do Like You', a track about the dancing exploits of his son Keita, which like the harmonica solo which saved 'Isn't She Lovely', is kept from saccharine by some punchy horn work from Larry Gittens and Robert Malach, and the socially-conscious 'Cash In Your Face', a sarcastic and damning documentation of the prejudices still preventing American blacks from gaining jobs and accommodation.
Happy Birthday
With the computer-drenched sound which would characterise the rest of Wonder's 80s output, 'Lately' provides a stripped-down, piano and Fender bass-only lament which captures in unadulterated form Wonder's emotive voice and melodic piano work. The simple nature of the track only aids its story of a man fearing the impending end of a relationship.
Wonder had by 1980 become a major champion for a national holiday in America for Martin Luther King, Jr. and the final track of Hotter Than July, 'Happy Birthday',was dedicated to the civil rights activist. Now a staple of cheesy discos, the song's assimilation in to popular culture hides the mixture of admiration and supreme annoyance which flow through the lyrics. The cheery, synthesizer-heavy backing track expertly disguising the message of intent, and signposting Wonder's increased participation in politics and social issues throughout the next decade.
Hotter Than July was in all respects a more controlled and standardised record than ...Secret Life Of Plants. Kept to one LP, ten tracks, and marked by an emphasis on accessible popular tunes in contrast to its predecessor's uneven experiments, the album is the nearest thing to a standard, mainstream pop record Wonder had recorded at that time. The record accordingly was a massive sales success, particularly in the UK, where it boasted four top ten singles, whilst the album reached number three on the Billboard Hot 200.
 |
