OR

So with Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind & Fire, two of the most important and influental artists in all of black music history, who both had their prime time during the 70s, return with a new album and also some PR machinery to bring them back into the charts. And all of this happens only within a few weeks of each other. Since both artists are also my personal all time favorite acts (beside Prince) I couldn't have been more excited to get those CDs in my hands after oh so many delays. Now they both finally arrived, and I'm a happy man

So which of those two albums do you prefer? Who makes the better overall impression with their new effort? Which artist was able to come closer to the macgic of their previous masterpieces?


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current votes:

Stevie 5 : 1 EWF



A Time To Love
DavidEye
RipHer2Shreds
Abdul
okaypimpn
Dancelot

Illumination
psykosoul


still anticipating votes from:
Pandurito
sosgemini

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[Edited 10/27/05 10:45am]

OK, even though I have Stevie's CD only for a few days while EWF's has been on my player for quite some time, I choose Stevie.

Illumination is a good album and I dig the majoritiy of the songs, but I still can't feel it as vintage EWF. Using only outside writers and producers makes it somewhat of a "fake" EWF album to me. I don't know if I had reacted differntly, if I had a "blind listen" without knowing anything about the album credits before. But there it is, still good, but nowhere close to their best work.

Stevies new album I could feel straight away. The songwriting is absolutely brilliant. As ever. Just a few minor complaints about some arrangments issues are not that much of a problem, those are rather really, really small complaints (f.e. I would have loved to get a kick ass horn section on at least a few songs, but nevermind). It's still too early to put "A Time To Love" into perspective compared to his 70's work, but so far I'm unable to see any real filler within those 15 songs, a track I will tend to skip for most of the time. Highly enjoyable CD! I do not check out and buy a lot of new releases these days, so it dosen't tell a lot, but so far this is my album of the year. Go Stevie! Go Stevie!

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[Edited 10/22/05 11:45am]

I haven't bought A2 and I'm not planning to so my vote goes for

PANDURITO said:

Did you at least hear Stevie's? If not, what good is your vote? (rhetorical)

My vote definitely goes to Illumination.

EWF may not be an "authentic" record as far as production, but I think every guest producer did a damn good job of offering the group material that was crafted especially for them. It's may not be as close to All 'N All as true EWF fans anticipated, but it's a damn fine album.

Had EWF reached out to producers like the Neptunes, Timbaland or Rich Harrison, I'd have more of a problem with the authenticity of the album. But all of the producers even... *gulp* Brian McKnight are musically driven.


Stevie's album just leaves me so unfulfilled. Maybe a guest producer would do him some good as well. It wouldn't take anything away from the "genius" that is Stevie Wonder. I just think he needs a fresh outlook on things and a little help.

I choose Stevie's album.The main reason is,he wrote and produced it himself.He poured his heart and soul into these songs,and many of the lyrics are personal.The other thing is,there are no silly hip-hop beats and no attempt to "fit in" with today's music scene.This album is pure Stevie Wonder.

I love EW&F's 'Illumination',but I just appreciate Stevie's effort a little more.

PANDURITO said:

for this your vote will not be counted


and for that your ass will be banned

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[Edited 10/24/05 0:30am]

psykosoul said:

I agree on your comments on EWF. But an outside producer for Stevie? I dunno... sounds as strange as bringing in an outside producer for Prince.. but who knows, it would certainly be interesting to see the outcome of this. Still I doubt that it would bring him closer to produce yet another classic like his 70's work. Anyway... with the new CD he's mainly back to classic instrumentation, which was a wise move in my eyes (ears), just compare it to albums like In Square Circle or Characters, the production there sound so terrible dated nowadays (though they still good albums)

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[Edited 10/24/05 0:12am]

DavidEye said:

yep, Illumination is good, but AT2L is pure Stevie. It's already my fave at least since Hotter than July... and it's still growing, hell I have it not even for a week! I didn't catch an album with so many standout compositions in ages, honestly.

Dancelot said:

I really wouldn't want Stevie to work with an outside producer.It would be strange and kinda awkward.I don't think there's any current producer who could do what he can do,anyway.

Dancelot said:

I've been listening to it all weekend.It's one of those CDs that I'll be enjoying for a long time.

anyone... else? or can I close the polls now

This isn't the first time that Stevie and EW&F were in direct competition with each other.In September 1976,EW&F released 'Spirit' the exact same week that Stevie released 'Songs In The Key Of Life'


Maurice spoke about how they tried desperately to get a different release date for their album (who would want to compete with a project like Sitkol? LOL),but to no avail.


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[Edited 10/25/05 4:38am]

so...it's a tie

I like both, but I think A Time to Love is the better album. Illumination feels a bit like a current R&B album disguised as an EWF album or the other way around. A Time for Love sounds like a Stevie album.

A Time To Love wins easy in my book, I don't consider Illumination an EWF album.

RipHer2Shreds said:

interesting..i just bought EWF and I am loving it..sounds like classic EWF to me....

i gotta get stevies this week so i can report.

sosgemini said:

agreed, their trademark elements were reproduced very well, the producers involved did a splendid job, keeping the original and incorporating current sounds at the same time.

the objections are mainly on a technical level: can an album without genuine Maurice White creations be tagged as vintage EWF?

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[Edited 10/27/05 7:58am]

OK, I ordered A2

I hope it's worth the waiting

Definitely A Time 2 Love.

Not that Illumination is a bad album, but it's definitely inconsistant.

I think EWF was trying too hard to the the Santana Supernatural "comeback" album and failed by all the outside producers and guest apperances.

The album probably would've been great if Maurice White and Raphael Saadiq produced the whole set (seeing his tracks are the only ones that really carry weight); although, I do like "Pure Gold" and "Love's Dance"...the rest of the songs are just

Dancelot said:

I guess I should say co-producer. And I don't mean producers who have 10 different top ten hits in the charts right now. I mean there are producers out there who have Stevie's sound down. However, they and the artists they produce never get any shine. (i.e. Van Hunt, Steve "The Scotsman" Harvey, Frank McComb, Donnie)

The same goes for Prince. I just think there comes a point and time when you have to let go of that control freak factor if you really want to get some fresh ideas flowing. While listening to A Time 2 Love, I can hear that Stevie wanted to take it there to that classic stuff. But I think a lot of that material would benefit from the use of a) Moog as opposed to the Motif. b) More of the drumming up front in the mix as opposed to that Casio drum machine he won't let go of. c) More rhodes and clavinet, ya know?... the elements of a Stevie album.

okaypimpn said:

Oddly enough,my favorite songs on 'Illumination' are the tracks produced by Organized Noize: "This Is How I Feel" and "The One".Those guys are hip-hop producers,but I'm impressed with what they came up with for EW&F.

DavidEye said:

If you like Organized Noize and thir soul productions, you chould check out these joints...


The first effort released by the three producers of Organized Noize (Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown and Ray Murray). They released this shortly after Goodie Mob's Soul Food album. Some really soulful tracks on here fused with some hip-hop. T-Boz and George Clinton make some guest apperances on here.


A much better effort from the Organized Noize camp. More live instruments as frontman, Sleepy Brown, releases this solo joint.

:yes:

okaypimpn said:

They're some good producers. Didn't they do that Mista album too? That first Goodie Mob album and their work with Outkast was classic material.

whodknee said:

Yep, sure did. That was actually a well underrated album (back when Bobby Valentino was known as his real name, Bobby Wilson. )

Organized Noize also did a track on Brany's last album, "Necessary."