Stevie Wonder - 'A Time 2 Love'

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How many times did Motown push back A Time 2 Love's official release date?

How many of us thought this album was coming after Stevie's Oprah appearance with his family?

What kept happening that kept holding this album up when we kept hearing it was finished?

A Time 2 Love was finally released on October 18, 2005. It had been 10 years since we heard a Stevie Album. I hope we get another Stevie album by October 18, 2007 at the latest and then a Stevie wonder album every year after that.

I love all Stevie Wonder so it's almost impossible to review his stuff song by song. So I will to try to keep this short. I will just describe what I was thinking as I heard each track.

1. If Your Love Cannot Be Moved (Featuring Kim Burrell) - Come on and bring it! We been waitin'!

2. Sweetest Somebody I Know - Nice!

3. Moon Blue - Piano. Keys. Lush! You can really see the moon the color blue when he sings this.

4. From the Bottom of My Heart - The second single to hit Urban AC Radio. Loved it from beginning to end. The harmonies, incredible. Beautiful lyrics. Too short!

5. Please Don't Hurt My Baby - Reminded me of classic 70s Stevie.

6. How Will I Know (Featuring Aisha Morris) - This song floors me it's so beautiful. Once again the piano, the keys. The quiet and subtleness of it all. A duet with his beautiful daughter Aisha. Little Aisha we heard on 'Isn't She Lovely' on 'Songs in the Key of Life' all grown up. Had this on repeat on the stereo for days. Some of the most heartfelt, honest questions and sentiments on the subject of love a man and woman can ask. This could be used in a movie or play. A daughter asking her Mother, a son asking his Dad. How Will I Know? Another timeless Stevie classic.

7. My Love Is On Fire - (on flute, Hubert Laws) How can anything so light and free sounding be so funky and good? It's all in here. Stevie's style we all love is all over this.

8. Passionate Raindrops - The video to this would be a beautiful thing indeed. A springtime light rain and two lovers. A summertime light rain and two lovers.

9. Tell Your Heart I Love You - Stevie Wonder, what you got in your synthesizers and harmonicas that makes them sound that funky on command? No one on this Earth can play neither exactly like Stevie. Let's go down south.

10. True Love - OK, I'm knocked out over here all over again. All I can do on this one is just shake my head left to right. Lawd! This is what a classy Jazzy song sounds like in the form of an acoustic piano, bass, drums, saxophone and Stevie's vocals. Another one I had to put on repeat for days. How bout that foot petal? In synch! ;)

11. Shelter In The Rain - Saw him do this one on Good Morning America that morning. I think it was actually raining outside the studio when he did this in New York that morning. I really like this one. Once again, lyrics. Universal. A Higher Power Is In Charge and In Control. He dedicated this to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. People were crying on the show, on set and in the audience live on TV. I know I was too.

12. So What The Fuss - I think this was the first single to hit Urban AC Radio. Funky as all get out. This is the one where he says, "Prince, pop it."
EnVogue is on this on too. Where in the heck has EnVogue been? The real EnVogue! You know, all the original girls?! That's who we want back together! They showed them on Oprah that time with Stevie recording this. The video for this was cool too. That Deep, down, dirty, analog, nasty, funktafied funk. Don't do the Funk. Get Under the Funk. 'Scuse my language, but I mean this in a good way -- "Dayum, that's Funky!" I hear they did this at Prince's place in Beverly Hills one night too. This reminds me of that story Quincy Jones told of Michael Jackson when MJ would say, "You hear that? That's the jelly." I hear you, MJ! Funky.

13. Can't Imagine Love Without You - Another beaut!

14. Positivity - This song got me outta my seat at 2 o'clock in the morning when I heard it. I dare anyone to sit still and listen to this! I double dares yah! Positive Joyful, Blissful, Optimistic Funk Happiness! Aisha sounds like on an angel singing on this. The words of this song need to be listened to over and over again. How can you not feel better after listening to this gem? Stevie plays drums on this and I mean, it is a treat! In tha pocket!

15. A Time To Love (featuring India.Arie) - nuff said!