“Innervisions” by Stevie Wonder

It’s the 50th anniversary of an exceptional soul music achievement, blending pointed commentary with pop sensibilities.

The brilliance of Innervisions starts with its cover art.

Artist Efram Wolff depicts Stevie Wonder as an all-seeing and, you would think, all-knowing being, despite being physically blind to the world (and perilous socioeconomic conditions) around him at the time. From drug abuse to Nixon’s attempt at re-election, Wonder covers an array of thorny topics with a biting emotional honesty that shocked some listeners when it first debuted. This was the guy known primarily for tender love songs like “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.” Now, he’s taking aim at Tricky Dicky on “He’s Misstra Know-It-All,” echoing the public’s torpedoed trust in higher office: “He’s a man with a plan/Got a counterfeit dollar in his hand.”

Wonder uses his considerable storytelling powers to craft and frame the impressive lyricism on Innervisions to make his message heard without overwhelming listeners. In lesser hands, songs like “Livin’ For the City,” which posits what fate awaits an innocent Mississippi transplant who’s upped sticks for (presumably) the Big Apple, would come off as trite or try-hard, more like an artist seeking attention rather than calling attention to racial discrimination. Ditto for “Too High,” a cautionary tale about substance abuse, and “Higher Ground,” his attempt to one-up the groove on “Superstition”

But there are also gorgeous moments of levity, like on “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing,” one of the more joyous ballads he ever committed to tape. Fifty years on, this album’s in the conversation as his greatest full-length achievement.

Got thoughts on this album? Did you love it? Sound off in the comments.