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Show Hit DcSy Uteh ChrefUdt. Tuwtfsy, Jcnuxry Pcsix 27. 1C31 fe) records Message may go unheeded by but can't be ignored Hotter Than July by Sto ic Wonder Tamla Records by Randall Edwards Chronicle staff Hotter Than July may very well be the most important album by a black artist in three tears; in fact, since Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life. Wonder's songs, since Music Of M y Mind, have been able to wed melodies of dazzling beauty, complexity and accessibility to lyrics that are stoic in their unbending message of hope and a striving for racial equality. Wonder has produced, in the wake of his Journey Through TheSecret Ltfe Of Plants, a critical if not commercial success, the best album to have sprung on the black music scene for years. Influenced by such artists as Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Curtis Ma field and Sergio Mendes, Wonder has been ahead of his time, both musically and in technical excellence, since the early 1970s, with songs like "Boogie On Reggae Woman," '"Nicalegua" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" showing influences thai ranged from Jamaica to Brazil to Africa to East Oakland. But it has been in his unswerving loyally to spread the word tc cording to Stevie Wonder that Wonder has shown himself, for all his musical progress, to be pleasantly politically anachronistic. While groups like the Temptations lost great c hunks of audience through blatant political songs, Wonder has always been able to pull off songs dealing with the plight of the black in America, the foolishness oi racial hatred, and. in "You Haven't Done Nothing," the failure of an entire presidential administration to respond to the needs of the black Americans. On Hotter Than July, The Wonder forces culminate again to produce a tour de force that mixes disco, reggae, punk and rock'n'roll with lyrics w hich move from Ioe ballads to numbers to the inequality of discrimination in a to plea for making Martin Luther King Jr.'s housing birthday a national holiday, all to the malicious one-ma- n accompaniment of Stevland Morris, aka Stevie Wonder. Hotter Than July is a return to the Fulfillingness' First Finale, and which culminated with Songs I n The Key Of Life. But instead of remaining stagnant, or even stopping long enough for one to trace Wonder's musical influences, this synthesis shows that Wonder truly is a major influence in and of himself, a major musical force, perhaps the most important popular composer of this era. "Master Blaster ( Jammin')" fairly jumps from the in I and. like most c lassie op songs, jumps into your head to the point that having once heard the song, you can never get rid of it. "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me" combines elements of Brazilian samba with gospel themes, and "Cash In Your fcV RENT A FRIDGE s2 quarter per Also rent stereo systems, home TV' VI 300 entertainment centers, washers, dryers, microwaves, BW and color V rv cr. n (sera v fD " ossfr mmb L TVs. i &3 '22? m qsczodd m mm sp mainstream l pop-sou- which Wonder helped create with Innrrvisions and Face joins a soul-styl- e for blacks" theme: melody with a "No room in the inn Our first child is due here any day That's why we're desperate for a place to stay The location is so perfect too So please try to do what you can do Well m this apartment complex no children are allowed And if you told me that I could have sai ed you a lot of time Well I thought the Bill was passed that said you could not discriminate But I know some excuse you'll find Because your bottom line is You might hat e the tash but you can . . . not cash in your face. Well I thought the Bill was passed that said you could not discriminate I imagine that Stevie Wonder, like Chuck Berry and Kay Charles before him. will never really fall out of the popular niche that he has created for himself because of his music al excellence. And the fact that he keeps churning out excellent pieces of music like Hotter Than July ensures that his message may go unheeded but cannot be ignored. Stevie Wonder is a classic; Hotter Than July only one of several masterpieces. Review Record provided by Randy's Records Eini'tl miss NFL TO0TOA; LB kV fcV TOLLIES This week's feature in the ASUU videotape performances series is NFL FOOTBALL FOLLIES. The tapes will be shown all this week on the first floor of the Olpin Union from 10 a.m.-- 2 p.m. Other features for Winter Quarter will be: Rolling Stones Concert Skills, Brains and Guts Be there. v GK7QS7 mm MHIIY RESTAURANT Tho hedthbst food in town. Specializing in whole wheat bread, salad bar, soups, sandwiches, dinner and pies. Hours: 11 to 1 1 Monday Saturday 2350 Foothill Drive 4668334 THE GRUBBIEST PLACE IN TOWN A piece of pie and a drink WAKE UP AND ALREADY BE THERE! Residence Limit one per customer. Expires Feb. 4, 1981, Halls-Austi- n Ha-581-62- 93 |
