STEVIE WONDER - With a Song in My Heart [1963] MOTOWN

Having tried to turn Little Stevie Wonder into Big Ray Charles, then broken him through with "Fingertips, Pt. 2," Motown then gave us "Steve Wonder, Lounge Lizard." At least, that's what you'd think listening to this string-filled crooning session, in which the 13-year-old earnestly makes his way through the likes of Johnny Mercer's "Dream," "Get Happy," "Without A Song," and other supper club standards. Berry Gordy's wish for all his artists may have been to play the Copacabana, but this one was far below the legal drinking age, and, although Wonder brought his usual willingness to the project, it was years beyond his abilities. by William Ruhlmann

Tracklist

1 With A Song In My Heart 3:12

2 When You Wish Upon A Star 2:59

3 Smile 3:20

4 Make Someone Happy 4:04

5 Dream 2:11

6 Put On A Happy Face 2:37

7 On The Sunny Side Of The Street 4:00

8 Get Happy 2:14

9 Give Your Heart A Chance 2:16

10 Without A Song 4:14

STEVIE WONDER - With a Song in My Heart 

[1963] MOTOWN / CBR320 / scan

O Púbis da Rosa

LITTLE STEVIE WONDER - Tribute to Uncle Ray [1962]

 "Little Stevie Wonder, Tamla's 11-year-old musical genius, is blind, a similarity he shares with a famed musician and vocalist of today," shamelessly announce the liner notes of this album. Unfortunately, Wonder at 11 does not share much of Ray Charles's vocal abilities, even when he is singing Charles' songs (others are "originals in the style of his idol") and, since he doesn't play on the record, there's no similarity there either. Today, listening to a child emote his way through songs like "Drown In My Own Tears" is a curiosity at best, and the album is only for hardcore Wonder fanatics. by William Ruhlmann

Tracklist  

1 Hallelujah I Love Her So

Written-By – Ray Charles

2 Ain't That Love

Written-By – Ray Charles

3 Don't You Know

Written-By – Ray Charles

4 The Masquerade

Written-By – Rubel, Migidson

5 Frankie & Johnny

Arranged By – Clarence Paul

6 Drown In My Own Tears

Written-By – Henry Glover

7 Come Back Baby

Written-By – Ray Charles

8 Mary Ann

Written-By – Ray Charles

9 Sunset

Written-By – Paul, Judkins

10 My Baby's Gone

Written-By – Berry Gordy, Jr.

STEVIE WONDER - Tribute to Uncle Ray 

[1962] MOTOWN / CBR320 / scan

O Púbis da Rosa

STEVIE WONDER - The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie [1962] MOTOWN

 Stevie Wonder's debut album, released when he was 11, is still an amazing musical document, showcasing his skills as a percussionist (drums and bongos), chromatic harmonica player, keyboardist (piano and organ), and composer -- and he was prodigious in all four categories. All of these skills are highlighted throughout this record, and Wonder's youthful, exuberant voice had a maturity suggesting that greatness was around the corner. Perhaps most surprising to contemporary listeners will be the emphasis on instrumentals, which made this a fairly unusual album by Motown standards to begin with. Apart from a few shouts in the background in some of the more free-form tracks, there's not a vocal to be heard here, yet the sounds are rich and diverse enough that one never misses them. What's more, a lot of what's here is extremely sophisticated instrumental music for its time, and the "jazz" reference in the title is not a matter of optimistic convenience or self-aggrandizement -- a lot of this is legitimate jazz. by Bruce Eder

Tracklist  
1 Fingertips 2:55
Bongos – Little Stevie
2 Square 2:59
Harmonica – Little Stevie
3 Soul Bongo 2:17
Bongos – Little Stevie
4 Manhattan At Six 3:44
Drums – Little Stevie
5 Paulsby 2:44
Organ, Harmonica – Little Stevie
6 Some Other Time 5:07
Harmonica – Little Stevie
7 Wondering 2:49
Organ – Little Stevie
8 Session Number 112 3:15
Piano, Harmonica – Little Stevie
9 Bam 3:33
Harmonica – Little Stevie

STEVIE WONDER - The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie 

Motown [1962] CBR320 / scan

O Púbis da Rosa