Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta – Syreeta

This is a wonderful record and Syreeta as an artist is so undervalued. Stevie Wonder obviously made a big contribution to this work, as Syreeta made contributions to many of his songs and recordings but this is NOT a Stevie Wonder album called ‘Syreeta’ as the listing implies. Anyone technically skilled enough to correct that??

The great, 'lost' Stevie Wonder album. A devout fan of Stevie's 70's work would be sorely amiss in giving this release a pass, as it is filled to the brim with his amazing songwriting (often in conjunction with the talented Ms. Wright) and - vitally - his powerful production & arrangement. It boggles the mind that a work THIS wonderful, this complete, this emotionally vital and this catchy seemed to somehow slip through the cracks (perhaps that is more indicative of the bounty of musical offerings available in the mid-70s). Any soul fan, and Stevie fan, anyone who loses themselves in beautiful singing.... this album deserves to be on your shelf.
The U.S. 1974 Motown (M6-808S1) is a decent pressing, seems thinner in sound when compared against much of Wonder's output at the same time but still.... fantastic.

Syreeta Wright was a gifted singer-songwriter that was known by several entities. She was best known for her collaborative work with Stevie Wonder, with whom she briefly married in 1970 before divorcing two years later. She penned some of his most beloved hits, including "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" and "If You Really Love Me," but she also stood as an important figure in helping to hone his artistic development, right at the onset of his golden adult period. Adjacent to her vital contributions to Wonder's artistry, Wonder self-produced two little-known albums for her. His second production for Wright, 1974's Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta, was projected to be a breakthrough smash for her, in the wake of Wonder's blazing pop success and his work on Minnie Riperton's 1974 breakthrough album, Perfect Angel. It barely made a dent, but even as it underperformed commercially, it was an artistic triumph in its own right. An intricate, autobiographical song cycle that mediated on womanhood and the travails of her tumultuous marriage with Wonder, Presents Syreeta may very well be one of the unsung treasures of 1970s classic soul. As any self-righteous Stevie Wonder aficionado is already aware of, the album also serves as an unheralded outlier from his classic period that is overripe for rediscovery outside of its esteemed cult praise among soul music connoisseurs.

The quality of my 1974 US Motown copy is decent, but it has a flat, murky sound to it. As nearly always the case of Motown vinyl pressings in the States, the quality is variable as Motown used various pressing plants throughout their history. This UK Motown pressing is less hissy and has far greater clarity. The very best digital version I've heard of this album is the 1994 CD remaster that was done by Gavin Lurssen, which is now long OOP.

This should be in the Stevie Wonder section as there’s no colaperation at all

Pure, pure joy.