Conversation Peace

Conversation Peace
Studio album by Stevie Wonder
Released	March 21, 1995
Recorded	1993–1995
Genre	R&B
Length	73:32
Label	Motown
Producer	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder chronology
Jungle Fever (1991) Conversation Peace (1995) Natural Wonder (1995)
Singles from Conversation Peace
"For Your Love" Released: March 1995 "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing" Released: April 1995 "Treat Myself" Released: July 1995

Conversation Peace is the twenty-second album released by American musician Stevie Wonder, on the Motown label in 1995. The album was Wonder's first full-length non-soundtrack studio album since 1987's Characters . This album yielded the hits "For Your Love" (a Grammy winner for Wonder for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance) and the reggae-flavored "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing". This album also saw Wonder reuniting with Robert Margouleff, who assisted during Wonder's "classic period" from 1972 to 1974.

Wonder wrote about 40 songs in 1993 after being invited to stay for six weeks in Ghana by President Jerry John Rawlings. A number of these songs were eventually shaped into album form. ^{[1] [2]} Motown announced in August 1993 that Conversation Peace would be released later that year; ^[3] however, Wonder continued to work on the album through 1994 until its release in March 1995, when Vibe magazine reported that the album had been in development "off and on for at least the past four" years. A circulating outtake from these sessions, "Ms and Mr Little Ones", was later released on Natural Wonder (1995). ^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Chicago Tribune	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	B− [7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
NME	7/10 [9]
The New York Times	(favorable) [10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Select	[12]
Stereo Review	(favorable) [13]
The Village Voice	A [14]

Critics felt that the album was a return to Wonder's classic period of the 1970s. John Milward in a 1995 review in Rolling Stone gave it four stars and felt that while the album is "reminiscent" of Wonder's classic albums, its "lean execution" gives it a "modern sound". ^[11] While the quality of the work was appreciated, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune and Jean Rosenbluth of the Los Angeles Times felt that the style was a bit too familiar and well-worn to be interesting, ^{[6] [8]} though Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave it an "A−" and remarked that while listeners may have "heard all this before, that doesn't mean it's worn out its welcome." ^[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it two-and-a-half stars in a retrospective review for AllMusic and felt the music was not contemporary enough to get radio play. ^[5]

Commercial performance

Conversation Peace debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week. ^[15] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on June 14, 1995. ^[16]

As of October 2005, the album had sales 361,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. ^[15]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Stevie Wonder, except where noted.

1. "Rain Your Love Down" – 6:08
2. "Edge of Eternity" – 6:04
3. "Taboo to Love" – 4:25
4. "Take the Time Out" – 5:05
5. "I'm New" – 5:41
6. "My Love Is with You" – 5:54
7. "Treat Myself" (Wonder, Stephanie Andrews) – 4:55
8. "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing" (Wonder, Edley Shine) – 4:46
9. "Sensuous Whisper" – 5:47
10. "For Your Love" – 5:00
11. "Cold Chill" – 6:53
12. "Sorry" – 6:15
13. "Conversation Peace" – 6:39

Personnel

Personnel involved in the album include:

• Stevie Wonder – Guitar, arranger, keyboards, vocals, background vocals, multi-instruments, mixing
• Anita Baker – Background vocals
• Ollie Brown – Conductor
• Lenny Castro – Percussion
• Ernie Fields, Jr. – Tenor saxophone
• Nolan Shaheed – Trumpet
• Ray Brown – Trumpet
• Fernando Pullum – Trumpet
• Jorge Arciniega – Trumpet
• Fred Wesley – Trombone
• Reggie Young – Trombone
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Background vocals
• Robert Margouleff – Mixing
• Branford Marsalis – Soprano Saxophone
• Greg Phillinganes – Keyboards
• Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin – Guitar
• Ben Bridges – Guitar solo on "Cold Chill"
• Nathan Watts – Bass, background vocals, associate producer
• Deniece Williams – Background vocals
• The Winans – Background vocals
• Syreeta Wright – Background vocals
• Take 6 – Background vocals
• The Artist Formerly Known As Prince – credited
• Vinx – guest artist ^[17]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Conversation Peace Chart (1995) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [18] 81 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19] 17 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] 25 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [21] 48 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [22] 19 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] 34 Japanese Oricon Albums Chart [24] 11 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [25] 15 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [26] 23 Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] 39 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] 28 UK Albums (OCC) [29] 8 US Billboard 200 [30] 16 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [31] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Conversation Peace Chart (1995) Position Japanese Albums (Oricon) [32] 151 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [33] 63

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [34]	Gold	158,000 [32]
United States (RIAA) [16]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Brown, Jeremy K. (2010). Stevie Wonder: Musician. Infobase. p. 79. ISBN   9781438134222.
2. Werner, Craig (2007). Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul. Random House. p. 269. ISBN   9780307420879.
3. Jeffrey, Don (August 14, 1993). "Motown Adds Might to Polygram Roster". Billboard . Vol. 105, no. 33. Nielsen Business Media. p. 82. ISSN   0006-2510.
4. "Revolutions: Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace – Motown". Vibe. 3 (3). Vibe Media Group: 98. March 1995. ISSN   1070-4701.
5. "Conversation Peace". AllMusic . Retrieved February 10, 2012.
6. Greg Kot (April 6, 1995). "Not So Wonder-ful". Chicago Tribune– via chicagotribune.com.
7. Hiltbrand, David (March 31, 1995). "Conversation Peace". ew.com. Entertainment Weekly.
8. Jean Rosenbluth (March 19, 1995). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2013– via articles.latimes.com.
9. Fadele, Dele (March 18, 1995). "Long Play". NME . p. 47. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
10. Pareles, Jon (March 26, 1995). "RECORDINGS VIEW; What if Love Can't Save The World?". The New York Times – via nytimes.com.
11. John Milward (March 23, 1995). "Stevie Wonder: Conversation Peace". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
12. MH (April 1995). "New Albums: Soundbites". Select . Retrieved December 9, 2024.
13. Stevie Wonder: Conversation Peace. Vol. 60. Stereo Review. August 1995. p. 78 & 79.
14. Christgau, Robert (July 11, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
15. "Simpson Strikes Back: Ashlee Scores 2nd No. 1". Billboard. October 26, 2005. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
16. "American album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 20, 2013.
17. Conversation Peace - Stevie Wonder | Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2023-10-20
18. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 305.
19. "Austriancharts.at – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
20. "Ultratop.be – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
21. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6892". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
24. "Highest position and charting weeks of Conversation Peace by Stevie Wonder". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
25. "Charts.nz – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
26. "Norwegiancharts.com – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
27. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Stevie Wonder – Conversation Peace". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
30. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
31. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
32. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
33. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
34. "Japanese certifications" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved July 14, 2022.Select 1995年3月 on the drop-down menu

External links

• Stevie Wonder interview by Pete Lewis, Blues & Soul, March 1995