Gaining full artistic control over his own music at the magical age of 21, Stevie Wonder started a streak of celebrated, influential, synthesizer-heavy R&B albums with 1971’s Music of My Mind. Enchanted with black girl magic, almost half of its follow-up, Talking Book, is co-written between Wonder and Yvonne Wright (“You’ve Got It Bad Girl,” “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)”) or Wonder and his wife, Syreeta Wright (“Lookin’ for Another Pure Love,” “Blame It on the Sun”). Seventies Stevie Wonder couldn’t lose; this album was a prime reason why.

– Miles Marshall Lewis

The second album released by Stevie Wonder in 1972, Talking Book was more successful than Music of My Mind, the big hits ‘You Are The Sunshine of My Life’ and epic funkster ‘Superstition’ making Motown very happy indeed. Multi-instrumentalist Stevie played most of the instruments himself, with guest appearances from vocals Denice Williams and guitarist Jeff Beck, who was extremely displeased when Motown opted to release Stevie’s version of ‘Superstition’ — originally intended for Beck — as a single. The entire album is just a gorgeous piece of work, swooping effortlessly from the gentlest, sweetest soul to the nastiest low-down funk. 

– Harold Heath