Stevie Wonder: Signed, Sealed & Delivered [MOTOWN]

Why you'll love it

This stereo reissue restores the album where Stevie Wonder first stepped up as a producer. It carried four Hot 100 singles, and the title track went to No. 3.

This edition

• Stereo mix

About the album

Signed, Sealed & Delivered is the sound of a 20-year-old taking the keys. Wonder had shared a production credit before, but here he produced two tracks outright, co-produced three more and co-wrote seven of the twelve songs. Motown's hit factory was still humming around him, and you can hear him starting to rearrange the furniture.

The title track, written with his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett, is one of the great horn-blasting openers in soul. "Heaven Help Us All" turns Ron Miller's song into a gospel plea, "Never Had a Dream Come True" is pure heartbreak, and his "We Can Work It Out" adds clavinet and harmonica to The Beatles until it sounds like it was always his. "I Can't Let My Heaven Walk Away" and "Don't Wonder Why" dig into deeper, moodier soul.

Robert Christgau called it the best soul album of 1970, and Rolling Stone's Vince Aletti heard more creative singing on it than most performers manage in a career. A title track co-written with his mum explains a great deal: signed, sealed and delivered is exactly how she'd want a thank-you note.

Also at Kops: more Stevie Wonder on vinyl · browse Motown

Tracklist

Listen

On Tamla / Motown (cat# B0028277-01), a reissue of the 1970 album.