Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Stevie WonderEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2000-05-02
Music Label: Motown
Soundtracks:
- Did I Hear You Say You Love Me
- All I Do
- Rocket Love
- I Ain't Gonna Stand For It
- As If You Read My Mind
- Master Blaster (Jammin')
- Do Like You
- Cash In Your Face
- Lately
- Happy Birthday
Free Music Notes for Hotter Than July
Free Music Review: stevie&tammi:the tender beginnings of hotter than july 1966-1980
Hit: 5 Stars
'Hotter Than July'...The 1980 album by Stevie Wonder,was a shockingly swift release.Released less than a year after his 1979 double soundtrack album,'Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants'a souvenir to a movie film that most audiences never had a chance to see,was panned,criticized and scorned by Motown and Wonder's fan base.When Wonder turned in the 'Secret Life Of Plants'tapes to Motown,they said to Wonder,'What the hell is going on here?'The music from the 'Plants' album confused and alienated Wonder's audiences.Stevie's response was the most becoming gesture of a consumate musical genius:he cut years off of his habitually lengthy gestation period of years in between albums and unleashed the powerful 1980 album,'Hotter Than July'/Wonder invites special musical guests greats such as the beautiful Angela Winbush,Betty Wright,The O'Jays,Michael Jackson and a few members of the Gap Band appear as background vocalists on the album.
'Did I Hear You Say You Love Me'the album's opening cut is a funk r&b rock workout.It is the only funk track in Wonder's career that starts quietly,then explodes into a funk explosion with Wonder's high energy vocals.The track's title questions a lady in the song who may have love for a man she wants to be with.The track has lyrics detailing physical desire:'I've been standing on the outside/Trying to get on the inside'...The track is a non stop funkfest with strong backing'I Love You' vocals.
'All I Do' a track whose origins date back to 1966 was co-written by Stevie with Clarence Paul(Wonder's mentor of the 1960s)and Morris Broadnax.Stevie Wonder was a 15 or 16 year old teen in 1966 when this track was written.The very beautiful Tammi Terrell sang on the original 1966 session version of the track with her beautiful warm vocals.One can only imagine the beauty of Tammi and Stevie working together in the Detroit Motown Hitsville Studios during the era of the mid sixties.Tammi's original version of 'All I Do'(Is Think About You)is included in the 2002 double CD compilation,'A Cellarful Of Motown!'(A collection of rare unreleased Motown tracks recorded by Motown artists of the 1960s.)The song is also on Tammi's recently released double CD of solo material.Wonder recorded an updated lovefunk version of 'All I Do'14 years later on his 1980 album 'Hotter Than July'/Stevie glossed the track over with his usual great musicianship and classic vocals with raved up passionate adult intimacy about a sensual lady of his dreams.For good measure,I recorded Tammi's original 1966 version alongside Wonder's 1980 remake of the song on a cassette tape from the eras that they were recorded in:The 1960s&1980s.
A beauty of a song with lyrics detailing desire and love from the heart:'You've made my soul a burning fire/you're getting to be my one desire/you're getting to be all that matters to me/and let me tell you girl/I hope and pray each day I live/a little more love I'll have to give/a little more love that's devoted and true/'cause all I do is think about you...
'Rocket Love'is a soulful beautiful out of space ballad about betrayal from a woman.The song's lyrics details the fraud of love:'The passion burning in your heart/would make hell's fire seem like a spark,where did it go?/just why that you would overnight/turn love to stone as cold as ice,I'll never know/but you took me riding in your rocket gave me a star/but at a half a mile from heaven you dropped me down to this cold,cold world.Stevie's summary of love is that it can be a heart of gold,but it can also be very cold to the heart as well.'I Ain't Gonna Stand For It'(along with previous Wonder classics such as 'Happier Than The Morning Sun'/'Big Brother'/'Too Shy To Say' and 'Game Called Love' which was written for The Originals in 1974,have shades of c&w elements)finds Wonder traveling musically into country&western territory.Unlike the previous songs that were listed,'I Ain't Gonna Stand For It'is the first song of the bunch that Wonder fine tunes and transforms his classic vocals into the 'twang drawl' of country&western.The song centers around a funny 'hillbilly affair'about another man rubbin' on his woman(his good luck charm.)(This track brings back memories of my dad.My dad used to love to sing that line in the song:oh,oh,oh,oh,my,my,my,my,my,my...)
'As If You Read My Mind'is one of my favorite tracks on this album.It is this album's hidden gem.The song's message is simple in being highly in love and a toast to love's simple pleasures.Stevie's piano playing is upfront in this mid tempo fast paced track and Wonder's classic harmonica solo.
'Master Blaster(Jammin')'the album's lead off single was Wonder's political reggae tribute to the legendary Bob Marley.The track's Black Political Message was the theme of the times in the early dawn of the new decade of the 1980s as Zimbabwe won it's independence.The former British colony of Southern Rhodesia then flashed into the independence of Zimbabwe in the spring of 1980 when Zimbabwe(under the rule of Robert Mugabe)won it's war of liberation against the British.Wonder was highly aware of Zimbabwe's winning it's independence.In a key verse of 'Master Blaster(Jammin')'Wonder addresses Zimbabwe's freedom for justice:'Peace has come to Zimbabwe/Third World's right on the one/Now's the time for celebration/Cause we've only just begun/You ask me am I happy,well as a matter of fact/I can say that I'm ecstatic/Cause we all just made a pact/We've agreed to get together/Joined as children in Jah/When you're moving in the positive/Your destination is the brightest star/Didn't you know that you/Would be jammin'until the break of dawn/We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin'
'Do Like You'is Wonder's funky dedication to his young son,Keita and the track is a nod to 'Isn't She Lovely' which was dedicated to his daughter Aisha(from the classic 1976 double album 'Songs In The Key Of Life')/The track opens with Keita's baby talk as his dad sings about his baby son entering a dance contest at school.The cut ends playfully with Aisha excitedly exclaims to Keita,'Oooh you done broke momma's lamp!'with Keita responding back excitingly:'No I didn't!'
'Cash In Your Face'is the second song in Stevie Wonder's career where he addresses the master-slave relationship.Wonder first addressed this issue in 1971 from the classic album 'Where I'm Coming From'with the track 'I Wanna Talk To You'...'Cash In Your Face'is a racial rave up that details housing discrimination about a Blackman tryin' to achieve the american dream.No matter how much a Blackman achieves in his life,doors are still being slammed in his face.No where is this more evident in this angry cut as Wonder delivers this powerful piece of musical sound bite to the amerikkkan social order of society:'Well I thought the bill was passed that said you could not discriminate/but I know some excuse you'll find/I know your bottomline is:say you might have the cash/but you cannot cash in your face/we don't want your kind living in here...(While 'Happy Birthday' is Stevie's tribute to MLK,'Cash In Your Face'is indirectly tributed to MALCOLM X,the Black Nationalist Leader of the 1960s who preached that most of white amerikkka was against intergration.Wonder's 'Cash In Your Face' is a truth telling example detailing racism and discrimination.)'Lately'is a soulful but painful sad eyed tearful ballad about the premonition of love ending in heartbreak.Stevie is the lone musician on this track,playing just the piano and bass synthesizer.
'Happy Birthday'is Wonder's tribute to Martin Luther King,Jr.A beautiful message song with Wonder on the drums,arp,bass melodian,synthesizers,keyboards.The track details Wonder's own vision dream of Dr.King's birthday becoming a national holiday a reality.Thru the power of Stevie's music and political activism from 1979-1981,Wonder's dream along with Dr.King's own dream for racial balance,a holiday was finally realized.The crystal glowing track backed with radiant backgound vocalists ending the album in upbeat mellow joy to the heart.
My only gripe about this CD reissue of this classic legendary 1980 album is that Stevie and Motown omitted extensive musical treasures from this 2000 CD reissue.Inside the original album/lp release,there are additional lyrics for three songs with longer versions:'Did I Hear You Say You Love Me'(of which wonder released in 1984 as the b-side to the 12 inch single of 'Don't Drive Drunk'of which I own.'Did I Hear You Say You Love Me'is 8:40 long compared to the over 4 minute album version.'I Ain't Gonna Stand For It'also has additional lyrics and is a longer version than that of the album version.'As If You Read My Mind'also has additional lyrics and a longer version than the album cut.'Master Blaster(Jammin')'and 'Happy Birthday'are slightly longer 12 inch versions that were finally released 25 years later on Wonder's 2005 CD single 'Positivity'(from 'A Time 2 Love')/The question is why weren't these 12 inch versions of these songs included on the 'Hotter Than July'2000 CD reissue? By having these 12 inch remixes of the 5 songs mentioned would've certainly enhanced this 2000 CD reissue of the classic 1980 album 'Hotter Than July'/(Some Wonder fans have never heard the longer version of 'Did I Hear You Say You Love Me')It's going on 30 years and I've yet to hear the longer versions of 'I Ain't Gonna Stand For It'and 'As If You Read My Mind'
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