`Hotter Than July' was quickly released to undo the damage, but it does sound kinda rushed in places as a result. The reggae cut `Master Blaster' is the real killer jam here, and love songs like `Lately' and the almost eerie `Rocket Love' are Stevie on top form, but a lot of the other material here is less memorable and distinctive than the albums he was cutting in the 70s. `Happy Birthday' is leaning into pop rather than the funk Stevie excelled at. Overall this is a solid album with some great moments, but not as essential as the work that preceded it. Still, its worth pointing out that there are no bad songs here, and even a lazy Stevie Wonder is actually more enjoyable than any of the contemporary R&B jokers out there these days. Too bad.


An impulse buy that paid off for this 24 year-old...   April 12, 2001
Knyte (Chicago, IL)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I saw 'Hotter Than July' at a record store being sold at a decent price, and noted that it included songs that I recognized by name: "Rocket Love", "Happy Birthday", "Lately", and "Master Blaster (Jammin)". On impulse, I bought it.

I'm glad I did. You see, "All I Do" has been remade into a dance/techno song by a British group called the Cleptomaniacs this year; so when I heard the original - it just made me feel so enlightened. For the record I prefer Mr. Wonder's version, but both versions of "All I Do" are enjoyable.

"Lately" was immortalized by an R&B group named Jodeci in the spring/summer of 1992; and they actually performed the song with Stevie on the Arsenio Hall show - and it was great. "Lately" (for me) is a sad and moving song that is also very beautiful.

It scares me to think that as late as 1980 we still didn't celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday; but hey, at least now I know the words to the whole song besides the chorus. "Happy Birthday" serves as a wonderful finale to the album.

But my favorite song on here would have to be "Rocket Love". My favorite Stevie Wonder songs are the slower, or midtempo songs that seem to just float, and take you on majestic, magic carpet rides. "Send One Your Love", "Superwoman" and "Ribbon In The Sky" do this for me.

But something tells me this isn't his absolute best album (assuming they can be ranked)...and from what I've been able to gather, 'Innervisions' and 'Songs In The Key Of Life' seem to be the top two. At any rate, just know that this disc is a good investment. I'm listening to it right now as I type this. It's on "Lately"...

Thanks for reading.


Burning Up   January 29, 2001
Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Hotter Than July is an aptly titled album as Stevie Wonder turns up the heat on this release. After the experimentation of The secret Journey Through The Life Of Plants, Mr. Wonder returns to his normal form with a collection of funkified numbers. "All I Do" is a fiery song that sieges right into "Rocket Love" that goes up into orbit. "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" finds Mr. Wonder singing in an almost unrecognizable voice that is more of a growl. "Lately" is a stirring ballad while "Happy Birthday" is dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. and is an open plea to make his birthday a national holiday, which it was not at the time. In fact, Mr. Wonder was a driving force behind the movement that was successful in getting Dr. King's birthday recognized, which despite the criminally long delay in doing such, was richly deserved. "Master Blaster (Jammin')" was another tribute song, this time to late reggae legend Bob Marley. The song has a dark, funky beat and sounds like it was recorded on some stoop on a hot summer night. Hotter Than July capped off an unbelievable run of albums and while it is not normally mentioned with them, belongs in the same league as his 70's albums.


An overlooked classic   September 4, 2003
Ronald Washington (Los Angeles, CA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

To start, the only reason I'm giving this album 4 stars is becuase the review only goes as high as 5 stars. This is not in the same league as Stevie's 70's masterpieces but I still feel that it's one of the best albums of the 80's. The title is basically talking about the world of music being hotter than July. In other words, there's a lot going on in regards to musical taste. At the time of the album release, rock was still going strong, country was becoming more popular, Bob Marley had brought Reggae to the masses, and the world was waiting for a new Stevie Wonder album after the confusing, at least to most of the public, Secret Life OF Plants album. This was it. The album sold quickly and had a top 10 hit with Masterblaster and Happy Birthday. I usually do my reviews by going song by song but this album boast a song so amazing that I have to give it it's due. That song is Lately. First off though, I will mention the other 2 songs that should be given their due too.
Ain't Gonna Stand For It.: Stevie goes country, in a playful way. This song is another romp in the same league as Say it 'Cause I Love Having You Around and Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing. It's a great dance song and in the middle section Stevie really rocks out. Don't take this song seriously. Just have fun with it.
Happy Birthday: This is basically a sing-a-long. Nothing really special musically going on in it. So why am I including it as one of 3 significant songs on the album? Mainly because of the public importance of the song. Can music actually make laws? This one did. Stevie wrote this in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luthur King, Jr. and it was the theme song throughout the efforts to make his birthday a national holiday, which Stevie spearheaded. Within one year of campaigning, President Reagan signed the bill to bring the holiday to life. This song will live on as the soundtrack to the campaign and also as the new way we all sing happy birthday at birthday parties around the world.

Lately: To me, there are 5 songs that made the 80's. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2, Every Breath You Take by the Police, Billy Jean by Michael Jackson, When Doves Cry by Prince and Lately. Of the 5 Lately is the least known, although in the past few years more and more people have come to know it's greatness. Stevie has always been ahead of his time and Lately is just anothe examlpe of that. Let's look at it on two different levels.
Musically: The song is in a major key but yet 90% of the chords heard are minor 7ths. Something never done before in popular music.When this song originally came out in 1980, these chords were so strange I remember my friends asking, what happened to Stevie? Did he go tone deaf because this whole song is out of tune! Twenty-three years later we hear it and it doesn't sound strange at all. Because of this song, these types of chord arrangements have become common when referring to some of the better artist of the last decade. These minor 7ths help the atmosphere of mystery and confusion in the song. Another interesting thing Stevie does, on the piano part, he continually plays these two 8th notes in the bass section. This represents the thoughts that go through our mind when we suspect that we're losing our lover. With these 8th notes he plays with dissonance. He plays the same note even though the chord has changed. The chorus of the song includes a clash if you will, of huge minor 7th chords that climb to a major. For the climax, he holds down the pedal on the piano that makes the note linger as he plays these chords again. This make for even more dissonance. Why so much? How do you feel when you think you're going to lose your lover? Not too happy and in tune I bet. That's why so much dissonance. At the end of the song Stevie changes keys but not the way it's normally done in popular music. He climbs to three keys higher than the original key of the song. The song finally ends in yet another key that could represent either the end of the relationship or a new beginning. You make the choice. Quincy Jones uses this same technique less than a year later on his classic "The Dude album on the song Just Once. Not to mention a number of other songs throughout the 80's and 90's that have used the "key change, you make the call" trick.
Lyrically: The song is about losing a lover to someone else. In other words, it's about cheatin'. Stevie says he has a feeling that something is going on but doesn't have a really vivid reason to suspect anything. In the chorus, he sings "Well I'm a man of many wishes, hope my premonition misses". Stevie is the optimist you know. But in this song he speaks for all of us. We don't want to admit the truth. But, as he says, "But what I really feel, my eyes won't let me hide. 'Cause they always start to cry. 'Cause this time could mean goodbye". A line so simple and yet so powerful. The second verse starts with Stevie wondering why he is with this person, "Lately I've been staring in the mirror, very slowly picking me apart. Trying to tell myself I have no reason with your heart". The "picking me apart" line is really interesting. When you're in a predicament like that, how often have you sat there wondering about yourself? You think, what's wrong with me instead of thinking, why is he/she doing this to me?
Lately is a masterpiece of songwriting. It is an art song in the same league as anything Chopin or Liszt has done. Yet it deals with something that everyone has felt. Whether their rich, poor, educated or not. You will feel this song in your bones. Listen to it again and again. Hotter Than July is a very good album with some good songs on it. Lately brings it up to another level.