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''Hotter than July'' is the nineteenth album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, originally released on Motown's Tamla label on September 29, 1980. It was certified platinum and reached number three on the US Billboard chart. This was his most successful album in the UK, peaking at number two and producing four top ten singles. ''Hotter than July'' was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the American Music Awards in 1982. ==Background== The commercial failure of his last album ''Journey through the Secret Life of Plants'' with only one single "Send One Your Love" making the top 5 of the Billboard chart left him struggling at the turn of the new decade.〔Eric Mercury called "You Are My Heaven" which became a success for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway on Atlantic Records. During this time of upheaval, he was also in demand as a guest artist on many other albums ranging from the likes of B.B. King, James Taylor, Quincy Jones and Smokey Robinson among others.〔 Wonder finally began work on a new album which was to be titled ''Hotter than July''.〔 Inspired by his love for reggae music from meeting Bob Marley, Wonder was encouraged to write the first track, "Master Blaster (Jammin')", after their performance at the Black Music Association in Philadelphia in 1979.〔Davis, Sharon ''Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder'' p.141.〕〔Davis, Sharon ''Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder'' p.107.〕 The recording sessions were primarily done at Wonderland Studios in Los Angeles (which Stevie Wonder had recently acquired) where he became responsible for writing, producing and arranging his own material for the new album.〔Davis, Sharon ''Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder'' p.142.〕 Inspired by the growing popularity of Bob Marley's music and its clear messages against war, "Master Blaster (Jammin)" (US #5; R&B #1) was Wonder's way of honoring Marley. The country-tinged "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (U.S. #11; R&B #2), the ballad "Lately" (U.S. #64) and the upbeat "Happy Birthday" were other notable successes from the album. In the UK, all four singles reached the top 10, with the first and last releases peaking at #2 in the charts. Track two, "All I Do", had originally been written by a teenaged Wonder and collaborators Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax in 1966. Tammi Terrell recorded the original version of the song that year, but her version never saw release in her lifetime and remained in the Motown vaults until it was posthumously included on the compilation ''A Cellarful of Motown!'' in the UK in 2002, 32 years after her death. Brenda Holloway also recorded a version that was released on her ''Motown Anthology'' set in 2005. Michael Jackson, Eddie Levert and Walter Williams of the O'Jays, and Betty Wright provided backing vocals for the song on Wonder's album. Charlie and Ronnie Wilson of the GAP Band, handled backing vocals for "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It". Wonder's ex-wife Syreeta also shows up on "As If You Read My Mind". Despite the wide critical acclaim for Wonder's previous works such as ''Songs in the Key of Life'' and ''Innervisions'', ''Hotter than July'' was his first album eligible for platinum status, as Motown sales records before 1977 were not audited by the RIAA. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hotter than July」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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