"Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  0340
Date:  09/20/1980
Debut:  78
Peak:  5
Weeks:  23
Genre:  R&B, Reggae



Pop Bits:  After the diminished returns and confused reception of Wonder's soundtrack to "Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants," he returned to form with this single from his first certified platinum album, "Hotter Than July." Inspired by his love of reggae music and meeting Bob Marley, Wonder wrote this tune as an ode to Marley. It also got Wonder another Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.

ReduxReview:  Ah, yes. Much better! After a couple years of blah stuff from Wonder, this sounded refreshing. I wouldn't say this is one of my all-time faves of his, but it is hard to not groove to this. Looking back, I'd probably say that this may have been the first reggae-style song that I heard. Reggae and artist like Bob Marley were not on anyone's radar in my small Michigan hometown, so it wasn't until years later that I discovered the music. It's not one of my favorite genres, but I do appreciate many of the great songs.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Another track on the album, "Happy Birthday," was instrumental in the quest to have Martin Luther King's birthday recognized as a national holiday. The song was released as a single, but it failed to make the pop chart. It did, however, reach #17 R&B and was a surprise #2 hit in the UK.

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