Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta
reflections on divine partnerships and an unsung hero
this month’s collectible of choice is Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta, which was released 50 years ago today (6/19). i have the vinyl in my collection, an acquisition from Depop of all places. together, we’ll travel back in time to explore the relationship that led to this album and how it’s just as pertinent as the music itself.
i recently saw a poignant TikTok video where a woman theorized that some (failing) romantic relationships should have actually been creative partnerships.1 for one, she was right, and somebody needed to hear that. secondly, this seems to be the case with the stars of today’s story. when it comes to creative soulmates matching each other’s freak, that essence was surely captured on Syreeta Wright’s second studio album.
in the fall of 1970, Stevie Wonder, the prodigious singer and multi-instrumentalist, married Syreeta Wright (known mononymously as Syreeta). he was 20 and she was 24. they found themselves partnered not just in matrimony, but in art as they worked together on music at Motown. but by the time Wonder and Syreeta collaborated on Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta, their ill-fated marriage had already dissolved.
the romantic affair only lasted 18 months, but their creative union persisted for decades to come in the form of soulful ballads and fruitful pop gems. in fact, they divorced the same year that Wonder produced Syreeta’s self-titled debut album (1972). side note: my favorite Syreeta song “Happiness” actually appears on that album.
Syreeta was very skilled as a singer-songwriter, but record industry politics consistently prevented her from emerging as the star she really was. she’d grown up writing poems in her native Pittsburgh, PA before relocating to Detroit, MI and landing a job as a receptionist for the city’s most prominent recording label, Motown.
once her musical prowess was discovered by label execs, she was often relegated to the unfortunate shadows of Motown’s biggest female stars of the time. however, Syreeta’s natural talents shined when in collaboration with Wonder; their strengths empowered each other’s. her poetic pen with his sharp, forward-thinking production made for some musical magic, as evidenced on Stevie Wonder presents Syreeta.
while Stevie Wonder presents Syreeta has some definitively somber moments, it’s generally a fun, theatrical record. the album is of its time in the way that you can’t neatly pin it under one genre: elements of soul, R&B, funk, pop, and even reggae all appear in a playful manner. recently, i haven’t been able to get “I Wanna Be By Your Side” (a duet with G.C. Cameron) outta my head. that big band-esque, Vaudevillian outro brings the emotions of the lyrical narrative to greater heights.
across the album’s 39 minute run, this kind of whimsy is par for the course. when Wonder accelerates the pace of his piano on “Spinnin’ and Spinnin’” and joins in on the singing, i can only imagine how exhilarating that moment would have been in studio. this song and many others on the album credit background vocals to Wonder, Deniece Williams, and Minnie Riperton (just to name a few of the talented folks involved in the process).
it appears that the album may have been a way to process the couple’s dissolution. this seems most evident with the lyrics on the ballad “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” a Stevie Wonder-penned duet with Michael Sembello.
other notable tracks include “Your Kiss Is Sweet” and “Heavy Day,” but there’s really not a bad song on this album. i enjoyed immersing myself within the record’s ebbs and flows, envisioning that i was a persistent fly on the wall during the recording sessions between 1973-1974.
also, the vinyl spun without any technical issues. however, i quickly realized that the order of tracks 3 and 4 were switched on streaming platforms. was this a creative decision made post-pressing or a modern digital mishap? i couldn’t find the answer at the time of publication, but i think i may have a preference for hearing “Come and Get This Stuff” before “Your Kiss is Sweet.”
it’s been 20 years since Syreeta departed this earth, and i think more people should know about her legacy. her name should be mentioned more prominently when it comes to singer-songwriters of this era. overall, i hope this recap inspired you to give this album and her discography a listen!
on another note, i’m wishing a happy Juneteenth specifically to Black American descendants of chattel slavery. here’s an updated version of my bbq music playlist to mark the occasion.
(bbq music on apple music)
it makes sense considering that the source of sexual and creative energy both reside within the sacral region.