A Time to Love | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 27, 2005 | |||
Recorded | 2004–2005 | |||
Length | 77:39 | |||
Label | Motown | |||
Producer | Stevie Wonder | |||
Stevie Wonder chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Time to Love | ||||
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A Time to Love is the twenty-third studio album by Stevie Wonder, his first since Conversation Peace in 1995. Originally to have been completed in 2004, it was finally released to stores on October 18, 2005, following an exclusive digital release on Apple's iTunes Music Store on September 27.
The first single, issued in April 2005, was "So What the Fuss", which featured Prince on guitar and En Vogue on backing vocals. Follow-up singles included "Positivity" with his daughter Aisha Morris, "From the Bottom of My Heart" and "Shelter in the Rain".
The song "Shelter in the Rain" was in tribute to his first wife, the singer Syreeta Wright, who died of cancer the year before the album was released. Wonder was quoted as saying he would have had Wright singing lead on it had she lived.
It is also the latest Stevie Wonder's studio album and musical project to date, as of 2024.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2023) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 66/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [3] |
Entertainment Weekly | C [4] |
Los Angeles Times | [5] |
Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [6] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [7] |
Robert Christgau | A− [8] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Slant | [10] |
Stylus | B− [11] |
The album was received with generally positive reviews, despite its having been delayed several times during the year of its release. In 2005, Wonder won the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in the Grammy Awards for "From the Bottom of My Heart", his fourth win in this category.
All tracks are written by Stevie Wonder, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If Your Love Cannot Be Moved" (featuring Kim Burrell) | 6:12 | |
2. | "Sweetest Somebody I Know" | 4:31 | |
3. | "Moon Blue" | Wonder, Akosua Busia | 6:45 |
4. | "From the Bottom of My Heart" | 5:12 | |
5. | "Please Don't Hurt My Baby" | 4:40 | |
6. | "How Will I Know" (featuring Aisha Morris) | 3:39 | |
7. | "My Love Is on Fire" (featuring Hubert Laws on flute) | 6:16 | |
8. | "Passionate Raindrops" | 4:50 | |
9. | "Tell Your Heart I Love You" | 4:30 | |
10. | "True Love" | 3:32 | |
11. | "Shelter in the Rain" (featuring Kirk Franklin) | 4:19 | |
12. | "So What the Fuss" (featuring En Vogue and Prince) | "Stevland Morris" | 5:04 |
13. | "Can't Imagine Love Without You" | 3:45 | |
14. | "Positivity" (featuring Aisha Morris) | 5:07 | |
15. | "A Time to Love" (featuring India Arie and Paul McCartney on guitar) | 9:17 | |
Total length: | 77:39 |
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [12] | 61 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [13] | 93 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [14] | 15 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [15] | 51 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [16] | 27 |
French Albums (SNEP) [17] | 19 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [18] | 43 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [19] | 16 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [20] | 12 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [21] | 9 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [22] | 81 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [23] | 9 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] | 24 |
UK Albums (OCC) [25] | 24 |
US Billboard 200 [26] | 5 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [27] | Gold | 88,000 [28] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [29] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [30] | Gold | 500,000 [31] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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