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In Square Circle

Rate It! Avg: 4.0 (6 ratings)
In Square Circle album cover
01
Part-Time Lover
4:13
$1.29
02
I Love You Too Much
5:27
$0.99
03
Whereabouts
4:18
$0.99
04
Stranger On The Shore Of Love
5:00
$0.99
05
Never In Your Sun
4:07
$0.99
06
Spiritual Walkers
5:14
$0.99
07
Land Of La La
5:12
$0.99
08
Go Home
5:18
$0.99
09
Overjoyed
3:43
$1.29
10
It's Wrong (Apartheid)
6:53
$0.99
Album Information

Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 49:25

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eMusic Review 0

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Michelangelo Matos

eMusic Contributor

11.16.10
At least 1985 was terrible for other musicians, too
1992 | Label: Motown Records

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 »

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At Least True To Form.....

isaacmusicman

After the blahh of "Woman In Red", at least Stevie's "In Square Circle" holds true to the Stevie form. It still at times sounds a little too electronic, but so did most of '80's. Stevie just got pulled in. Not to say that this album isn't good, in fact, at times it's great. Songs like the massive hit "Part-Time Lover", "Whereabouts" "Land Of La La" and "Go Home" are just short of stunning. My two favorites are "I Love You Too Much" and "Overjoyed", having that pure Stevie Wonder sound. Even how the songs mesh together makes it feel authentic. Even though not a classic, it's still a very good album.

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They Say All Music Guide

Although it went platinum, nothing stands as better evidence of how cyclical the pop experience is than the response to In Square Circle. Wonder actually wrote some superb songs, and several, like “Overjoyed” and “I Love You Too Much,” were superior to the hit single “Part-Time Lover.” But that one zoomed to the top spot and became the album’s definitive tune in the minds of many. – Ron Wynn