Why Art Matters: Stevie Wonder, Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants

A blind man making us see

We saw Stevie Wonder in concert last year, a miracle in finding tickets the day of, about eight rows back. He was astonishing in every conceivable way. Doing what I do - obsessing - I read every article I could about him afterwards and was clued into the fact that this album, the soundtrack to the documentary Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants, was considered a huge disappointment by Motown. 

I have to take this criticism in context. It was 1979, and the charts were dominated by disco, hard rock, new wave, punk, and country. Stevie was coming off a decade of dominating the charts and awards shows with R&B funk classics like Superstition and Sir Duke, and albums like Songs in the Key of Life. This album was expected to be another massive hit.

This is none of that. 

This is Wonder as a composer and artist. 

And it's gorgeous. 

Yes, there are hits on this album, Send One Your Love and Black Orchid. But there's also the hypnotic Voyage to India, Come Back as a Flower, Seasons, and the Finale. Honestly, this is one where you drop the needle on track one and listen to the whole thing as a soundscape from start to finish. 

Reading more about the album, the packaging is a stroke of genius. The cover is embossed so you can feel the orchid illustration as well as read the cover in braille. It is scented, igniting another of the senses. I'm now in search of the record, hoping the CD offers the same sensation. 

Reading reviews online, it is clear the fans do not feel the same as the critics, Berry Gordy be damned. Please give it a listen, even if you aren't a Stevie Wonder fan.