DJ Spinna

It's perhaps the ultimate tribute to Stevie Wonder's singular genius that so few artists have dared attempt to breathe in his rarefied air by covering his songs -- for all the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Stones covers in the celestial jukebox, there seems to be something about Wonder's songs so organic and so complete that they're largely considered off-limits, especially when even successful covers do little but gild the lily. And while most Wonder tributes simply further the argument for leaving well enough alone, DJ Spinna and Bobbito's second Wonder of Stevie: Further Forays Into the Stevie Songbook compilation bucks the trend. Few of these covers even attempt to match the funky energy of the originals, instead following the grooves into new directions that reinforce the mutability of Wonder's melodies. Most of the material dates back to the 1970s, a decade that Wonder pretty much owned, and even if these weren't covers of his songs, his impact on his contemporaries would still be writ large across all these tracks. Highlights include Minnie Riperton's "Perfect Angel," Carl Carlton's "Signed Sealed Delivered," and Joe Farrell's "Too High." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide