Retro Reviews: Stevie Wonder: Journey Through 'The Secret Life Of Plants'

  I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums.

Stevie Wonder: Journey Through “The Secret Life Of Plants” (1979)

***3/4

Producer: Stevie Wonder

Musicians: Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright, Bill Wolfer, Ben Bridges, Michael Sembello, Rick Zunigar, Nathan Watts, Henry Franklin, Ron Kersey, Dennis Davis, Earl DeRouen, Joe Johnson, Ibrahim Camara, Lamine Konte, Josie James, Tata Vega

Music and Songs: Earth’s Creation, The First Garden, Voyage To India, Same Old Story, Venus’ Flytrap and The Bug,  Ai No, Bonio, Seasons, Flower Power, Send One Your Love (music), Race Babbling, Send One Your Love, Outside My Window, Black Orchid, Ecclesiastes, Kesse Ye Lolo De Ye, Come Back As A Flower, A Seed’s A Star / Tree Medley,  The Secret Life Of Plants, Tree, Finale

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    After over a two-year gap, the long awaited follow up to Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life is here, and it probably won’t be what many expected, it will probably depend on how one sees the album, a new proper release? Or the soundtrack to a lesser known documentary? A little a both I’d say, and one will have to accept it on the album’s own terms. Wonder’s evolution as a keyboardist, and his progression with the use of the synthesizer has already changed how many use these musical devices, from the mere coloration  and novelty of the early years, to tools that can approximate a live orchestra. Wonder’s use of this technology is very orchestral in nature, his gifts as a composer have become pretty self-evident. Key Of Life was nearly the culmination of everything Wonder had strove for. This past decade Wonder has enjoyed a phenomenal creative and commercial streak with each album. He was bound to want to grow and experiment before the decades end as he has nothing yet to prove. The instrumentals offer a range of feelings and the songs all play along with the themes of the documentary.

    My best way of accessing this is to focus on the instrumentals, the source cues, and then the proper songs. An ominous synth sets up the tone for “Earth’s Creation” and a synth or processed guitar leads the melody, the orchestral synths give it a lush quality. This even hints at Progressive. Animal noises set up “The First Garden”, before a music box chime establishes the mood with Stevie’s harmonica. The second half shift gears and this is the first track with a montage quality. There’s an ambient feeling to “Voyage To India” before the melody sets in, while there are sitar drones, this doesn’t follow any of the cliches you’d expect, but a travelog quality, which morphs into Stevie’s rich melodic sensibilities, even if melancholy, the second half of the piece features more exotic drones. The added percussion and strings built it up as the pace shifts and a vocalist gives it a cinematic element. 

    “Seasons” opens with a music box chime that quotes from “If It’s Magic” while a mother tells a child a bedtime tale. A wind sound segways into the playful theme, the colorings build up into some sounds that remind me of Bowie’s keyboard textures from Low or “Heroes”, yet it also underscores how adapt Wonder’s instincts are as an arranger. It becomes fairly self-evident as to why with the instrumental of “Send One Your Love” the song featured later on the album as the single. This version features some spoken dialogue as an undercurrent. The piece “Ecclesiastes” features a church organ, orchestration and an approximate opera vocalist, somber yet sweet. “Trees” begin impressionistically before the main body of the instrumental eases in. There’s also some interesting colorings included on the piece.  The closing instrumental “Finale” summarizes the main themes as a kind of culmination. There’s a certain bombast and progressive tone that features in the closing moments.

    Regarding the afford mentioned ‘source music, “Ai Mo Somo” was a Japanese koto motif with a child’s choir. The African based “Kesse Ye Lolo Da Ye” has a range of exotic instrumentation and percussion, with a choir, whimsical and light. As far as the proper songs, pieces like “Same Old Story” has the comfortable format of Paino, synth upright, Harmonica, and nice guitar work. “Venus’ Flytrap and the Bug” has a playful midnight jazz feel with some vocal scat, a child like explanation as to how such a plant works. The style of “Power Flower” has the flavor of a Jazzy RNB groove that might influence the direction of how such might go in the next decade. The first half of “Race Babbling” has an up-tempo feel and a certain life to it. The bass player really leans hard on the number. Stevie’s vocal is processed which gives it an otherworldly element. The song seems to be entirely built on vibe.

    The perennial single “Send One Your Life” has an easy accessibility. The vibrant “Outside My Window” has a certain life and fresh tempo, and use of some interesting percussion. The ballad “Black Orchid” will likely harken back to material from The Key of Life for some people. “Come Back As A Flower” features Syretta Wright on lead vocals, and this isn’t the first time that Mr. Wonder has been generous in highlighting other talents in his band, good work. The track “A Seed Is A Star / Tree Medley” must have been a live recording, very up-tempo and probably the second most lively track with some nice bass work. The final vocal is “The Secret Life Of Plants”, very much a number that has the kind of rich musical skill you’d expect from Stevie as a songwriter.

    Fans that were expecting another pop or soul record might be frustrated, for those who have an interest with soundtrack music, or instrumentals, they may find this a fascinating and bold effort. Wonder continues to push the boundaries of musical technology and song craft, it leaves one curious as to what to expect from him in the next decade.