In 1979, everyone thought the soul maestro was totally off his rocker when Stevie Wonder released a double album with the odd title Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants. It was far removed from his usual excursions into the sophisticated realms of commercially successful adult pop, and many thought it sounded the death knell for his near three-decade rule as a prince of soul music.
If you look at the facts, it’s hard to argue with that much-held belief. Wonder had been a chart force for so long and, in 1976, had put out one of his most acclaimed albums, Songs In The Key Of Life. When he finally issued what was assumed to be the follow-up three years later, it caught everyone off guard.
