eMusic Review 0
No matter how many synthesizers he used, Stevie Wonder's '70s music was carried along on a pulse provided by the man himself, not a machine. Wonder is one of the most original drummers in R&B. Not as an adjunct to his real work as a singer or performer; as a drummer, point blank. To hear him compressed to hell, all the character taken out of his style, when not replaced entirely by drum machines, all thanks to the dictates of commerce, is sad, and they're where In Square Circle's annoyingly perky qualities inhere.
The electro-shakers on "Part-Time Lover" are playing 32nd notes, right? Just checking. Either way, they're fast, and they typify the anxious tension and sheen this album carries in spades. Everything had to sound ready for MTV — to sound tinny and compressed because it was going to be heard coming through TV speakers — and "Part-Time Lover," Wonder's last No. 1 pop hit, typified this trend. The homogenously milky sound of the album smothers what sound like they might have been a fun bunch of songs once. The best thing to say about In Square Circle is that 1985 was a terrible year for a lot of other… read more »


