Smooth jazzer Najee performs instrumental covers of all the songs, in sequence, from Stevie Wonder's classic 1976 album, Songs In The Key Of Life. Najee is joined by some big names, including George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Sheila E., and Ray Parker, Jr. (who is a great guitar player - too bad he'll be known in history only for Ghostbusters). The result is an enjoyable disc, even though it leans towards Muzak at times and there's a little too much flute soloing for my taste. I'll be honest, flute isn't my favorite instrument and it can be heard on 11 of the 18 tracks here. By contrast, soprano saxophone, which appears on the album cover, only appears on 5 tracks. We need some truth-in-advertising here!
A few of the songs are shortened and/or combined with another so that what was originally a double LP set can fit on one disc at about 71 minutes of music. For example, Isn't She Lovely, was 6:34 in Stevie's original; Najee's version clocks in at about 45 seconds. Of course, nothing can compare to the original, but covering Stevie Wonder tunes is never a bad idea. As far as tribute CDs go, I've heard much worse.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: Did not chart
- Billboard R&B: #67
Tracks: The better tracks are Love's In Need Of Love Today, I Wish, Ordinary Pain, and As. You can skip Saturn/Ebony Eyes, All Day Sucker, and Pastime Paradise, which, as you could probably guess, doesn't translate well to jazz flute.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I purchased this disc at a used CD store in Victoria around 2002 or 2003. I was unfamiliar with Najee at the time but bought this disc because it was Stevie Wonder's music.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Morning Tenderness (1998)
Share My World (1994)
Just An Illusion (1992)
Najee's Theme (1986)
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