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A Time To Love
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 18 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Motown
Release Date: 18 October 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): R&B
Summary
The legendary singer's first album in ten years combines R&B, soul and hip-hop. Guests include Paul McCartney, Prince and India.Arie.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
The melodies don't falter, and Wonder's unexpectedly and perhaps unfortunately influential vocal attack is as mellifluous as ever.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
A Time to Love finds the two halves of Wonder's adult career finally coming to home to roost in peaceful harmony with one another, and it's one of the finest records he has done in decades.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Closer in quality to [his] five immeasurably influential '70s standard-bearers than anything from Wonder's '80s or '90s catalogue. [Dec 2005, p.102]
Blender
Wonder has a genius for... emotional openness. [Dec 2005, p.157]
Billboard
A welcome return. [22 Oct 2005]
PopMatters
Wonder's delivery never stumbles. His earnestness carries even the least successful of his numbers (except "Raindrops" and probably "Positivity") by being so convincing.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
As long as Wonder is producing and laying down basic arrangements himself, he’ll never be awful, which is a shame: like any lifelong charmer, he can stand to be more vulgar, or show some teeth, damn it.
Read Full Review >E! Online
Most the songs feel like they should have come out around the same time Clinton moved into the White House.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times
As always, his heart's in the right place, but his pop brilliance has dimmed to the level of mere mortals. [16 Oct 2005]
Uncut
Good enough that you barely notice Macca, Prince and the other obligatory guests. [Dec 2005, p.100]
The New York Times
There are moments on the album with too many bland and anonymous pop chord progressions...Yet here and there the idiosyncratic, headstrong musician emerges. [17 Oct 2005]
Entertainment Weekly
These toothless, '80s-embalmed tracks... are the aural equivalent of Sleepytime tea. [28 Oct 2005, p.87]
Slant Magazine
It sounds better than any album that begins with background vocalists crooning "Moooo…moo-moo-moooo" probably has any right to, and contains at least a couple lo-fi AC ballad keepers.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
jyotirmaya d gave it a10:
I don't know what the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times mean when they say his "brilliance has dimmed" or that his new CD "sounds bland" -- maybe THEY have been in dim and bland offices, in front of the computer for too long unable to recognize good pop/soul music when they hear it? Stevie has some songs here that I think, dare I say it?, sound BETTER than a few on Talking Book. So stop being so mental and just kick back and groove to Stevie's renewed life, soulful voice, romantic grooves and melodies and be glad for it!
T gave it a0:
people even consider this "music" ?
Jay gave it a10:
This album has some of the most wonderful heartfelt lyrics I have ever heard a person sing, the songs are truly wonderful, its well on par to be his best album and is far too under-rated, All my family have gone and bought this listening to it at my house. Thank goodness this truly wonderful singer, songwriter, artist was part of my generation. There is not one song on this album that is poor and Id rather my children and myself for the matter listen to a heartfelt album about love than these rap artists breeding hate songs. You name me an artist who can write hit songs, play the drums, keyboard, harmonica etc and give outthe right message? My main man Stevie
Andrew H gave it an8:
Very very good, has many messages and if you listen you feel his passion. The title track and Positivity are definitely the two best tracks. Worth a very good listen.
Andrew S gave it a7:
A partial return to form, only spoiled by over-contemporising and a tendency to give in to sugar.
Steven C gave it a9:
A "must have" album for anyone who likes Stevie Wonder music. A number of songs on thiis album stand up and may be favorably compared to his best works. The album is eminently listenable as a whole and gets better with repeated play.
Elmir S gave it a6:
Clearly this is a weak album by Stevie's standards. I wouldn't even comment on the 10 years between his last album and this one. There are no really good ballads and no really good melodies. The songs are wordy and have overall naive lyrics - no memorable statements like some of his lyrics in the 70s. He oversings just like Aretha Franklin has been oversinging for the past 30 years. Why is he screaming so high as if though he is trying to prove that he still "got it"? Compare that to the relaxed singing offered by Barbra Streisand's last two albums ("The Movie Album", and "Guilty Pleasures"). All that being said, Stevie Wonder by default is way above most musicians and even his worst stuff stands out compared to the rest of pop and r&b music.
