A special topic for one of my all time favorite musicians. One reason I find him so special is I personally think he probably has more masterpieces under his belt that most other musicians. Below I'll leave some mini-reviews of what I find his most classic albums.
Where I'm Coming From - Pretty much the "transitional" album from his classic young Stevie motown hits, this is where his music really took a sharp turn in his writing and compositional skill. A prelude to what was to come.
Music of my Mind - A build-upon his transitional period, but with many more solid and complex compositions this time around, this is where Stevie's work started to shape into his absolutely essential music.
Talking Book - Stevie's first absolute masterpiece, and by some considered one his greatest albums. Some of his absolute biggest hits such as Superstition and You are the sunshine of my life are from this album. A sharp turn in his musical complexity and his already pretty sharp songwriting got even more sharp.
Innervisions - In my opinion, Stevie's absolutely most quintessential album. Has some of the sharpest song writing of his career, and where Stevie started to really get great at blending his soul and funk sounds together almost seamlessly.
Fulfillingness' First Finale - Another of Stevie's masterpiece era, and just like the title implies, it's essentially was made to wrap up the string of fantastic albums that he had going on beforehand conceptually. But Stevie had one last huge bang even after this to send off to his fans.
Songs in the Key of Life - Undeniably not only one of Stevie's most accomplished albums, a true masterpiece in every respect, and easily one of the greatest albums of all time. At close to an hour and 40 minutes, it really never loses my interest anytime I listen to it. It's easily his most varied work, as well as being FULL TO THE BRIM with some of his most massive hits and most catchy hits. With this one by the time you're done listening you feel like you've really listened to something grand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYuJKb8oVLA Like this is easily one of the best ballads ever written.
Hotter Than July - Extremely underappreciated album, with some really fantastic songs like Master Blaster, and I Ain't Gonna Stand For It