Stevie Wonder Jungle Fever Soundtrack CD

Stevie Wonder

Personnel includes: Stevie Wonder (vocals, guitars, piano, bass, harmonica, percussion, drums, electric piano, synthesizers); Kimberly Brewer (vocals); Greg Poree (guitar); Julie Metz, Mark Safer, Pamela Gates Henderson, Vladimir Polimatio (strings); Larry Gittens (trumpet); Isaiah Sanders (synthesizer), Nathan Watts (bass, percussion); Alvino Bennett (drums); Baba Olatunji, Sikir'u Bimbo Adepoju, Earl DeRouen, Lenny Castro, Munyungo, Vaughn Halyard (percussion); Boyz II Men, Bridgette Bryant, Lynne Fiddmont-Linsey, Nancy Fields, Samson Malelu, Mary Tameno, Norah Mbusi, Chris Thiongo, Jane Tameno, Catherine Likimani, Grace Thande, Winnie Kuria, Maysa Leak, Darryl Phinnessee, Syreeta Wright, Shirley Brewer (background vocals).
Engineers: Malcolm Cecil, Jimmy Sandweiss, Steve VanArden.
Recorded at Wonderland Studios and 1 Der 1 Mobile Unit, Los Angeles, California.
Despite all of the hype surrounding it, the soundtrack to Jungle Fever is Stevie Wonder's best work in years. Although it can't compare to Wonder's glory days, Jungle Fever is a considerable improvement from his bland late-'80s albums. Wonder still borders on saccharine on his ballads, although even the sappiest of them ("These Three Words") is never as sickening as "I Just Called to Say I Love You." While the keyboard funk of "Chemical Love," "Gotta Have You," and "Queen in the Black" doesn't sound new, it does sound alive, which is better than Wonder has sounded in years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Commissioned by Spike Lee to compose music for his film on interracial relationships, Stevie Wonder used JUNGLE FEVER as a triumphant entry into the '90s, after a decade marked by a spotty and sporadic output. Wonder plays a variety of instruments and does all of the arrangements for inspirational songs including the upbeat father-daughter ditty "Fun Day" and the gorgeous "These Three Words," a song about the goodness found within the strong bonds of familial love.
Writing from the perspective of a jilted woman, Wonder penned "If She Breaks Your Heart" for the honey-sweet vocals of Kimberly Brewer. Elsewhere Wonder uses the language of funk to address family disharmony ("Each Other's Throats"), lust ("Gotta Have You") and interracial dating ("Jungle Fever.") While the melancholic ruminations of "Make Sure You're Sure" mark it as a potential jazz standard, the surprisingly bubbly "Chemical Love" belies the tragic make-up of Samuel Jackson's crack-addicted character in the film.

Rolling Stone (8/8/91) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...Not since HOTTER THAN JULY has [Wonder] sounded so freewheeling, confident and engaging...a welcome return to form..."
Q (8/91) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Of course, Wonder comes up trumps...there is no doubt that Stevie Wonder has done his [part]..."