Stevie Wonder
On this live release, Wonder is backed simultaneously by the 30-piece Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and a smaller but ferocious band of plugged-in musicians. This is no album of overindulgent schmaltz, however. Never one to merely spoon out the same old renditions of his best-loved work, Wonder, with some help from conductor Dr. Henry Panion III and orchestrator Paul Riser, buffs his classics to a brilliant, fresh sheen. There's a brassy, sassy reworking of "Living for the City" and a full-funk version of "Superstition." But nothing matches the 8½ minutes of unbridled joy on "Ribbon in the Sky." The interplay between Wonder on harmonica and a lone sax from the orchestra sounds like two exquisite birds trilling in the treetops, and the song then ends with a mad burst of bossa nova. (Four previously unreleased tunes are thrown in, the best being the life-affirming "Dancing to the Rhythm.") Even if you didn't think you could hear one more version of "My Cherie Amour," you'll find yourself marveling at the restless Wonder's prodigious talent. (Motown)
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