Stevie Wonder - In Square Circle

Released on September 13, 1985, on Tamla Records, In Square Circle stands as a total declaration of independence. Ten tracks, all produced by Stevie Wonder himself: it is an album without external collaboration, a sonic architecture where the artist serves as both architect and performer. The first track to greet the listener is "Part-Time Lover," while the album closes with "It's Wrong (Apartheid)," creating a dividing line between domestic intimacy and political engagement.

Ten tracks, ten acts of solitary writing

This album marks Stevie Wonder's twentieth studio release and signifies a return to the studio after a five-year hiatus since Hotter Than July (1980). It represents a crucial step in the artist's trajectory, positioned between two pivotal periods: Hotter Than July in 1980 and Characters in 1987. Far from being a simple return to the studio, this project imposes its own law with absolute rigor. Each track is the fruit of solitary writing, each arrangement an expression of a personal vision undiluted by commercial compromises.

The total absence of featuring: a political choice

This deliberate absence reinforces the artist's stance, refusing a multi-handed production system. Each track bears Stevie Wonder's unique signature, transforming every song into a personal and social manifesto. Artistic solitude becomes here a strength, not a handicap: it is an act of resistance against the pop machine of the 1980s that multiplies collaborations and dilutes individual voices.

Solar opening and militant engagement

Go Home extends this societal dimension with unshakable rhythmic energy. Overjoyed, in turn, brings melodic relief, recalling the pop and soul roots that have nourished Wonder's career from I Was Made to Love Her (1967) through to the contemporary era.

An album sacrificed by the 80s pop machine

In Square Circle remains the record where Stevie Wonder asserts with the greatest clarity his creative freedom. Ten tracks produced entirely by himself, without featuring, without compromise: it is an album that refuses to be an industrial product in order to echo a conscience in phase of resistance. Between Part-Time Lover and It's Wrong (Apartheid), the record draws a line between intimacy and engagement, between personal joy and social struggle. It is far more than a simple return to the studio: it is the proclamation that a single voice can still hold against an avalanche of collaborations and compromises.

Technical details

- Release: September 13, 1985 - Label: Tamla - Tracks: 10 - Opening / Closing: Part-Time Lover / It's Wrong (Apartheid)