The singularity of Dionne Warwick is defined by what the singer isn't as much as what she is. Although Warwick grew up singing in church, she is not a gospel singer. Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan are clear influences, but she is not a jazz singer. R&B is also part of her background, yet she is not really a soul singer, either, at least not in the sense that Aretha Franklin was. Sophisticated is a word often used to describe Warwick's musical approach and the music she sings, but she is not a singer of standards such as Lena Horne or Nancy Wilson. A pop singer of a sort with an aching yet detached alto voice, In all likelihood, Warwick could only have emerged out of the Brill Building environment of post-Elvis Presley, pre-Beatles pop in the early '60s. That's when she hooked up with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, songwriters and producers who tailored their unusually complicated songs for her distinctive instrument.

In Square Circle is a 1985 studio album released by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder (his twentieth overall). The album features the hits "Part-Time Lover", "Go Home" and "Overjoyed" (which was left off Wonder's 1979 album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants and re-recorded for this album). The album won Wonder the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 28th Grammy Awards (his fourth award in the category, and his 13th Grammy overall). In Square Circle broke into the Top 5 on the Pop Albums chart and spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart.

Music of My Mind is widely hailed as Stevie Wonder's artistic rebirth, the beginning of his "classic period." The1972 release is a breathtaking exploration of soul, sound and the sonic possibilities of the recording studio, shaped as much by his roots in R&B as it is by his interest in electronic instrumentation. Compared to his earlier work, this music feels worlds away, the texture of the album was different from anything he had released. Performing almost entirely solo, Stevie ties overdubs of keyboards, drums, harmonica as well as his mastery of traditional song structure and his immense musical personality into well-woven audio tapestries. Standout tracks include "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)," "Happier Than The Morning Sun," "Keep On Running" and "I Love Every Little Thing About You." He makes a small job of transposing the passion of soul music into a synthesized world. At this point, people realized that Wonder was no longer suggesting brilliance. He had found it.

An Ode to Stevie Wonder. A sensitive journey between soul and jazz. A rediscovery of Stevie Wonder. By revisiting the genius of Stevie Wonder and his most sensitive (and often least known) titles, Monica Shaka offers an album of absolute finesse, where the subtle breath of Amina Mezaache's flute meets the aerial touch of Richard Razafindrakoto and the all-Ravelian bass of Sava Medan.