

Where I'm Coming From is an interesting album because it's a little bit delightfully self-indulgent. They were both operating from this newfound realm of freedom within the Motown machine. Some of this, I think, is because it was released right around the same time as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album, and Gaye's album kind of swallowed Stevie Wonder's, in part because they were thematically similar in terms of the ambition. Hanif Abdurraqib: It received some mixed reviews, both commercially and critically. Stevie Wonder, performing "Superstition" on Soul Train in the early '70s. Morning Edition's A Martinez spoke with poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib about this "classic period" of Wonder's, saying its story begins with the album just before that historic quintuple run, called Where I'm Coming From. But, when Stevie Wonder's contract was about to expire on his 21st birthday, he was able to negotiate for more creative freedom.

Wonder first signed to Motown Records when he was 11 years old, and so basically grew up with Motown's head, Berry Gordy, calling the shots of his creative life – and Gordy was famously reluctant to allow his artists to make political or social statements in their music. Three of them won Grammys for Album of the Year.

Stevie Wonder released five brilliant albums in the span of five years, between 1972 and '76: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life. It's been called "The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music" – and it started 50 years ago this week. 25, 1974 - almost directly in the middle of what many refer to as the artist's "classic period." Podcast guru Jad Abumrad follows Dolly Parton from the Smoky mountains of Tennessee to global fame and icon. The podcast is brilliantly produced, full of her music and interviews with experts.Stevie Wonder, photographed arriving in London on Jan.
#TO PODCAST MAKER WONDERY SERIES#
Payton Oswald stars in these feature episodes on Reagan - they are laugh out loud!īest for Kids - David Walliams' Marvelous Musical PodcastĪ 10-part series that introduces children to composers like Mozart, Ethel Smyth, Liszt and Clara Schumann but also covers topics including Ballet, the history of the piano and some of the world's strangest instruments.īest Pop Culture - Dolly Parton's America Having not heard of the story before, Gareth's reaction are hilarious. Wondery has reached 1 billion downloads in nearly four years.īest Episode - The Dollop - Ronald Reagan Eps 1 and 2Ĭomedian Dave Anthony reads an unknown story from American history to comedian Gareth Reynolds each week. This award goes to a podcast production house rather than an episode - podcast producer Wondery (based in California) produce hit after hit after hit! This year's hits include Over My Dead Body, The Shrink Next Door, The Sneak, Detective Trapp, The Moment, Man in the Window - and their original series are Dr Death and Dirty John. Her new podcast 'How's Work?' brings new perspective to the invisible forces that shape workplace connections. Relationship specialist, counsellor and author Esther Perel returns with her third season of 'Where Should We Begin', taking you inside the antechamber of intimate moments.
