Conversation Peace

Conversation Peace
Studio album by Stevie Wonder
Released	March 21, 1995
Recorded	1993–95
Genre	R&B, pop
Length	73:56
Label	Motown
Producer	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder chronology
Jungle Fever (1991) Conversation Peace (1995) Natural Wonder (1995)
Singles from Conversation Peace
"For Your Love" Released: 1995

Conversation Peace is the 22nd album released by American musician Stevie Wonder, released on the Motown label in 1995. The album was Wonder's first full-length non-soundtrack studio album since 1987's Characters. This album yielded the hits "For Your Love" (a Grammy winner for Wonder for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance) and the reggae-flavored "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing". This album also saw Wonder reuniting with Robert Margouleff, who assisted during Wonder's "classic period" from 1972 to 1974.

Wonder wrote about 40 songs in 1993 after being invited to stay for six weeks in Ghana by President Jerry John Rawlings. A number of these songs were eventually shaped into album form.^[1][2] Motown announced in August 1993 that Conversation Peace would be released later that year;^[3] however, Wonder continued to work on the album through 1994 until its release in March 1995, when Vibe magazine reported that the album had been in development "off and on for at least the past four" years.^[4]

Reception

Critics felt that the album was a return to Wonder's classic period of the Seventies. John Milward in a 1995 review in Rolling Stone gave it four stars and felt that while the album is "reminiscent" of Wonder's classic albums, its "lean execution" gives it a "modern sound".^[5] While the quality of the work was appreciated, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune and Jean Rosenbluth of the Los Angeles Times felt that the style was a bit too familiar and well-worn to be interesting,^[6][7] though Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave it an "A–" and remarked that while listeners may have "heard all this before, that doesn't mean it's worn out its welcome."^[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it two-and-a-half stars in a retrospective review for Allmusic and felt the music wasn't contemporary enough to get radio play.^[9]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Stevie Wonder, except where noted.

1. "Rain Your Love Down" – 6:08
2. "Edge of Eternity" – 6:01
3. "Taboo to Love" – 4:25
4. "Take the Time Out" – 5:05
5. "I'm New" – 5:41
6. "My Love Is with You" – 5:54
7. "Treat Myself" (Wonder, Stephanie Andrews) – 4:55
8. "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing" – 4:46
9. "Sensuous Whisper" – 5:47
10. "For Your Love" – 5:00
11. "Cold Chill" – 6:53
12. "Sorry" – 6:45
13. "Conversation Peace" – 6:39

Personnel

Personnel involved in the album include:

• Anita Baker – Background vocals
• Ollie Brown – Conductor
• Lenny Castro – Percussion
• Ernie Fields, Jr. – Tenor saxophone
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Background vocals
• Robert Margouleff – Mixing
• Branford Marsalis – Saxophone
• Greg Phillinganes – Keyboards
• Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin – Guitar
• Nathan Watts – Bass, background vocals, associate producer
• Deniece Williams – Background vocals
• The Winans - Background vocals
• Stevie Wonder – Guitar, arranger, keyboards, vocals, background vocals, multi-instruments, mixing
• Syreeta Wright – Background vocals
• Take 6 - Background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Position Austrian Albums Chart[10] 17 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[11] 25 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[12] 48 Dutch Albums Chart[13] 19 French SNEP Albums Chart[14] 3 German Media Control Albums Chart[15] 34 Italian Albums Chart[16] 16 Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[17] 11 New Zealand Albums Chart[18] 15 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[19] 23 Swiss Albums Chart[20] 28 UK Albums Chart[21] 8 U.S. Billboard 200 [22] 16

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Italian Albums Chart[16] 80 Japanese Albums Chart[23] 151 French Albums Chart[24] 86 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Japan (Oricon Charts) 158,000[23] United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 366,000[26] ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. Brown, Jeremy K. (2010). Stevie Wonder: Musician. Infobase. p. 79. ISBN 9781438134222.
2. Werner, Craig (2007). Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul. Random House. p. 269. ISBN 9780307420879.
3. Jeffrey, Don (August 14, 1993). "Motown Adds Might to Polygram Roster". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 105 (33): 82. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. "Revolutions: Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace – Motown". Vibe (Vibe Media Group) 3 (3): 98. March 1995. ISSN 1070-4701.
5. John Milward (23 March 1995). "Stevie Wonder Conversation Peace". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 3, 2006.
6. Greg Kot (6 April 1995). "Not So Wonder-ful". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
7. Jean Rosenbluth (March 19, 1995). "Record Rack". articles.latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
8. Christgau, Robert (1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (July 11) (New York). Retrieved October 19, 2014.
9. "Conversation Peace". Allmusic. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
10. "austriancharts.at Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved February 20, 2013.
11. "ultratop.be Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (ASP). Hung Medien (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
12. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2013
13. "dutchcharts.nl Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
14. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
15. "Album Search: Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
16. "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1995" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
17. スティービー・ワンダー-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック "Highest position and charting weeks of Conversation Peace by Stevie Wonder" Check |url= value (help). oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
18. "charts.org.nz Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
19. "norwegiancharts.com Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
20. "Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
21. "Chart Stats – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
22. "allmusic ((( Conversation Peace > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
23. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
24. "Les Albums (CD) de 1995 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
25. "American album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 20, 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
26. "New Stevie Wonder Set Due In June". billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2013.

External links

• Stevie Wonder interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' March 1995