Signed, Sealed & Delivered by Stevie Wonder

Signed, Sealed & Delivered

by Stevie Wonder

Released: August 07, 1970

Soul

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Breakthrough.

01

The Album

"Signed, Sealed & Delivered" is the 12th studio album by Stevie Wonder, released on August 7, 1970, by Tamla Records. He wrote or co-wrote seven of the album's tracks. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice highlighted the album's excitement and uniqueness, despite some flaws, and deemed it "the most exciting LP by a male soul singer in a very long time," appreciating its deviation from Motown's typical sound.

02

Inside the Recording

This album marked Wonder's debut as a producer, although he only produced two tracks himself and co-produced three others.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

Vince Aletti from Rolling Stone commended the album'sโ€ฆ

Vince Aletti from Rolling Stone commended the album's creative vocal performances, asserting that it includes more exceptional singing than found in many other artists' works.

He noted that while not all tracks matchโ€ฆ

He noted that while not all tracks match the energy of the title song, the album is consistent and features a remarkable cover of "We Can Work It Out," praised for its tasteful arrangement.

In retrospective evaluations, Christgau ranked Signed, Sealed &โ€ฆ

In retrospective evaluations, Christgau ranked Signed, Sealed & Delivered as the eleventh best album of 1970 and later considered it the best soul album of that year.

Start listening here

Essential Tracks

01

Never Had A Dream Come True

The album includes notable hits such as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Heaven Help Us All" (No. 9), "Never Had a Dream Come True" (No. 26), and Wonder's cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" (No. 13).

02

We Can Work It Out

The album includes notable hits such as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Heaven Help Us All" (No. 9), "Never Had a Dream Come True" (No. 26), and Wonder's cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" (No. 13).

03

Heaven Help Us All

The album includes notable hits such as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Heaven Help Us All" (No. 9), "Never Had a Dream Come True" (No. 26), and Wonder's cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" (No. 13).

04

I Can't Let My Heaven Walk Away

Allmusic's Ron Wynn awarded the album three out of five stars, observing that Wonder's focus was more on social issues than commercial success, and found the songs "I Can't Let My Heaven Walk Away" and "Never Had a Dream Come True" to be as engaging as the hits.

Then

Reception

The album includes notable hits such as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Heaven Help Us All" (No. 9), "Never Had a Dream Come True" (No. 26), and Wonder's cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" (No. 13). It reached No. 25 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and No. 7 on the R&B Albums chart. Allmusic's Ron Wynn awarded the album three out of five stars, observing that Wonder's focus was more on social issues than commercial success, and found the songs "I Can't Let My Heaven Walk Away" and "Never Had a Dream Come True" to be as engaging as the hits.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Signed, Sealed & Delivered" is the 12th studio album by Stevie Wonder, released on August 7, 1970, by Tamla Records. The album includes notable hits such as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Heaven Help Us All" (No. 9), "Never Had a Dream Come True" (No. 26), and Wonder's cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" (No. 13). It reached No. 25 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and No. 7 on the R&B Albums chart.

This album marked Wonder's debut as a producer, although he only produced two tracks himself and co-produced three others. He wrote or co-wrote seven of the album's tracks.

Signed, Sealed & Delivered received praise from critics upon its release and continues to be recognized for its significant impact. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice highlighted the album's excitement and uniqueness, despite some flaws, and deemed it "the most exciting LP by a male soul singer in a very long time," appreciating its deviation from Motown's typical sound.

Vince Aletti from Rolling Stone commended the album's creative vocal performances, asserting that it includes more exceptional singing than found in many other artists' works. He noted that while not all tracks match the energy of the title song, the album is consistent and features a remarkable cover of "We Can Work It Out," praised for its tasteful arrangement.

In retrospective evaluations, Christgau ranked Signed, Sealed & Delivered as the eleventh best album of 1970 and later considered it the best soul album of that year. Allmusic's Ron Wynn awarded the album three out of five stars, observing that Wonder's focus was more on social issues than commercial success, and found the songs "I Can't Let My Heaven Walk Away" and "Never Had a Dream Come True" to be as engaging as the hits.

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