20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Stevie Wonder

Album Review

With the plethora of 20th Century Masters collections issued since the late '90s, it's hard to believe that it took until 2005 for a Stevie Wonder edition to be released. But thankfully, Motown and Universal should be acknowledged for showing up late to the party instead of not showing up at all. Casual fans who found the outstanding At the Close of the Century box set too pricey and 2002's excellent Definitive Collection too expansive in scope will be delighted at this compilation celebrating one of soul music's most revered treasures. Featuring Stevie's greatest numbers from his years as a child prodigy at Motown, nearly every song here was a number one hit on the R&B or pop charts, sometimes doubling on both. From the starting point of "Fingertips, Pt. 2" to "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," the compilation rings with instantly identifiable classics, instantaneously synonymous not only with Motown, but with soul music itself. The compilation appropriately ends with "If You Really Love Me," which signaled his creative independence from the stifling constraints of Motown and was also his first self-produced single for the label. This is an outstanding collection for an artist whose vast scope is paralleled by few if any others in the annals of pop and R&B.