Although Original Musiquarium & At The Close of A Century are better compilations,Song Review is a less expensive more well rounded collection,as well as a recommendation for the uninitiated.Unlike Musiquarium, that focuses on his brilliant 1972-1980 work,Song Review also features his 60's & 80's work.And for the Stevie fan,it featues the first appearance of Ebony & Ivory and Stay Gold(from The Outsiders) on a Stevie Wonder collection.Also a bonus are the single mixes of many songs making it a blessing when making Stevie mix tapes.The only problem is a "thrown together" feel of the sequencing,where different era & song styles don't mesh.And like many compilations,some essential songs aren't included in favor of others thats on every compilation(where's You Haven't Done Nothing, a #1 hit , If You Really Love Me,Shoo-Be-doo...)and the editing of the 10 minute plus Do I Do & the 6 Minute Lovelight In Flight would've left room for more songs.In all this should be a starting point for people getting into Stevie's Music.Then from there Innervision,Talking Book,Fullfillingness...you get the picture.

This collection suffers from the same problem that afflicted Pat Benatar's "All Fired Up: The Best of ..." and David Bowie's "Singles Collection" -- if the record company could find a shorter version, they used it. What follows is the time for some of my favorite songs (not a complete list), with the version found on "At the Close of the Century" versus "Song Preview":

Superstition 4:26 > 4:02

Here are some of the bigger songs missing from Song Preview that you'll find on Century:

Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day

Don't fool around with this package -- get Century. Century also supplants "Original Musiquarium", which also had the full-length versions but is missing many tracks included on Century.

Stevie Wonder is one of the most spectacular artists still living today. I understand how hard it is to try to consolidate ALL of the major hits of such an artist. The task is mind-blowing. Yet you would think the people who put this together would at least start in a particular order (chronological maybe). Starting with square one is usually important, especially for new fans. After we're past that fact, then we see that they are missing some very important milestone songs. You might want to put an artist's first major hit on the album (FINGERTIPS)! Other songs were not nearly as important: "Love's Light in Flight", "Hold On to Your Dreams", and "Hey Love" to name a few could have easily been replaced with hits like: "For Once In My Life", "Knocks Me Off MY Feet" or even "Isn't She Lovely".

To 2 CD set's credit, there are some very commendable liner notes by someone obviously pretty educated (from Stanford). There are also rare songs like "Ebony and Ivory", "The Redemption Song", and quiet hits like "That Girl", "All I Do", and "Kiss Lonely Goodbye" which is not on the box set. This is a good CD if you just want to hear some Stevie Wonder (nothing wrong with that). For true fans, you may want to get a more extensive album (Looking Back, Essential, and At the Close of a Century). Although this CD set does not have everything, it has enough for me to say that I wouldn't trade it for the world. The rare tracks and selective arrangement make this an album to take into consideration.

The 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's...R&B, pop, jazz, dance...piano, vocals, drums, harmonica...you name it, Stevie Wonder has conquered and excelled in it. And "Song Review," a 31-track retrospective of his career, is about as close to perfect as you can get.

It's hard to say exactly what's the most striking: his intricate, layered production that lets you hear new nuances with each listen; his writing, full of lush and jazzy chord progressions and structures; or his voice, that remarkable instrument that can, with equal ease and success, joyously deliver a romantic love song or stir the soul with the pain and longing inspired by one of his commentaries on the wrongs of society.

Of course, his funk is the most fun: modern groups like the Brand New Heavies or Jamiroquai still have yet to achieve the likes of "Superstition," "I Know," or "Boogie On Reggae Woman"...the rhythms and keyboard parts of these songs seep under your skin until your body is awash with the groove. The same can be said for his more pop-flavored material, such as the delightful "Sir Duke," and especially "That Girl," the ultimate in high-quality, 80's slickness.

But Wonder's ballads are certainly the most compelling of his work. His voice has the quality to open up and simply ache, so when he sings the longing lyrics of "Overjoyed," paired with gorgeous chord progressions, it makes for one of the most beautiful ballads ever recorded. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Ribbon in the Sky" are timeless treasures, and "My Cherie Amour," Stevie's 1969 classic, still holds up as a classic that can bring out the romantic in anyone.

As with most greatest-hits packages, some of the song selections are puzzling: where is "Isn't She Lovely," one of his biggest hits? And what about "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"? Surely these two classics could have been included instead of the lackluster ballad "Stay Gold" and Stevie's adequate but not essential cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." (And does anybody really need to give another listen to the ultimate in bland, mid-80's cheese, otherwise known as "Ebony & Ivory" with Paul McCartney?) Still, these are small complaints: for soul-stirring vocals, infectious musical landscapes and sheer songwriting brilliance, "Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection" is a treasure to behold.

Being a die-hard Stevie fan, I never thought I would be saying this: I can't believe I actually bought this. "Song Review" is possibly the lamest, poorly representative compilation I have ever heard of any artist's material. I could go on for days about all the great songs that are curiously absent in this collection, but I won't. I trust that people who know Stevie Wonder's music are hip enough to realize that this album is simply not Stevie's greatest hits. The most concise statement I could make about the play list is to say that there is a general lack of attention to Stevie's greatest albums- "Talking Book", "Innervisions", "Fulfillingness' First Finale" and "Songs in the Key of Life." I find the neglect of this ingenious music deeply disturbing, I can't understand how anyone in his/her right mind could dedicate almost the entire second disc to Stevie's least memorable material. Beginning the compilation with "Part-Time Lover" and "I Just Called . ." was a very poor call, it's just that simple. I don't buy these "Greatest Hits" collections to begin with, I can thank Motown for reminding me why I don't. After hearing this disgrace I refuse to ever buy one again.

It is widely acknowledged that Stevie's creative peak occured between 1972 and 1976, when he recorded four of the greatest albums in the history of pop. This is not to slight the beauty of later songs such as "Overjoyed" or "Ribbon in the Sky" because they certainly have their place here. However, my advice to a Stevie novice would be to buy "Songs in the Key of Life"-here you will actually hear Stevie Wonder. I am not trying to sound like and old and bitter purist- I grew up in the 80's, but I'm not an idiot. I know what grooves and what puts me to sleep.

In summary, this collection is not recommended for anyone with good musical sensibilities.