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Ace’s Songwriter Series and Black America Sings compilations always promise a good time, but their latest may have outdone them all: a hits and rarities packed tribute to the songs, sound and style of Stevie Wonder.

Black America Sings Stevie Wonder, available March 27, collects 20 compositions by the Motown legend from across the pop and soul diaspora. From familiar tracks in less familiar versions to songs he gave others both on and off the label he was part of for more than half a century, there’s quite a bit to appreciate here, even kicking off with a cameo from the man himself, writing, producing and performing on labelmate Jermaine Jackson’s hit “Let’s Get Serious.”

The blind musical prodigy from Saginaw, Michigan became a crucial proponent of the Motown sound thanks to ebullient singles like “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” and “I Was Made to Love Her’ (both of which were penned with Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy; “I Was Made to Love Her” also bears a credit for Stevie’s mom Lula Mae Hardaway).  Almost immediately, these songs, co-written and sung by the teenaged Wonder, became part of pop’s firmament; consider Nancy Wilson’s version of the latter, released the same year as the original, or a killer 1972 rendition of the latter by funk icons The Bar-Kays.

Soon, though, it became clear that his pen was too prolific for just himself. His fellow Motown artists reaped the benefits here and there: a forgotten Wonder co-write by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, “The Tears of a Clown,” became such a hit several years after its release in the U.K. that Robinson had to delay plans to go solo. Black America Sings Stevie Wonder features other Motown cuts from the post-Diana Ross Supremes (“Bad Weather”), Four Tops (“What Else Is There to Do (But Think About You)”), and Marvin Gaye (“You’re the One for Me”) but mostly concentrates on how Wonder’s music reverberated outside of the Motor City.  There’s funk (Rufus and Chaka Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good”) and disco (Sylvester’s “Living for the City”), smooth pop (O.C. Smith’s “My Cherie Amour”) and gospel (The Dixie Hummingbirds’ “Jesus Children of America”) and even a dash of a cappella, courtesy of The Persuasions (“Don’t Know Why I Love You”).  One of the biggest hits here comes from Memphis-born, Detroit-raised Aretha Franklin; the Queen of Soul took Stevie’s “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” all the way to No. 1 R&B and No. 3 Pop in 1973.

Black America Sings Stevie Wonder reflects just how powerfully the onetime child prodigy’s music rippled throughout the annals of popular music – and continues to do so.  Look for it on March 26 (and April 3 in North America) from Ace.  You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Black America Sings Stevie Wonder (Ace CDTOP 1671 (U.K.), 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Let’s Get Serious – Jermaine Jackson
2. Tell Me Something Good – Rufus & Chaka Khan
3. Superstition – Quincy Jones
4. Living for the City – Sylvester
5. I Was Made to Love Her – The Bar-Kays
6. Jesus Children of America – The Dixie Hummingbirds
7. To Know You Is to Love You – Margie Joseph
8. What Are You Going to Do with It – Betty Wright
9. Bad Weather – The Supremes
10. What Else Is There to Do (But Think About You) – Four Tops
11. Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Nancy Wilson
12. You’re the One for Me – Marvin Gaye
13. Open Up Your Heart – LaBelle
14. As – Sister Sledge
15. Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) – Aretha Franklin
16. Superwoman – The Main Ingredient
17. My Cherie Amour – O.C. Smith
18. We Had a Love So Strong – Randy Crawford
19. Don’t Know Why I Love You – The Persuasions
20. Evil – Lou Rawls

Track 1 from Let’s Get Serious – Motown M7-928R1, 1980
Track 2 from Rags to Rufus – ABC Records ABCX-809, 1974
Track 3 from You’ve Got It Bad Girl – A&M Records SP-3041, 1973. Original version from Talking Book – Tamla T-319L, 1972
Track 4 from Mutual Attraction – Warner Bros./Megatone 25527, 1986. Original version from Innervisions – Tamla T-326L, 1973
Track 5 from Do You See What I See? – Volt VOS-8001, 1972. Original version from I Was Made to Love Her – Tamla T/S-279, 1967
Track 6 from We Love You Like a Rock – Peacock PLP-178, 1973. Original version from Innervisions
Track 7 from Sweet Surrender – Atlantic SD 7277, 1974. Original version released by Syreeta on Syreeta – MoWest MW-113, 1972
Track 8 from Betty Wright – Epic JE 36879, 1981
Track 9 from Motown single M 1225F, 1973
Track 10 from Four Tops Reach Out – Motown MT/MS-660, 1967
Track 11 from A Touch of Today – Capitol (S)T-2495, 1966. Original version from Up-Tight – Tamla TM/TS-268, 1966
Track 12 from Moods of Marvin Gaye – Tamla (S) 266, 1966
Track 13 from Pressure Cookin’ – RCA Victor APL1-0205, 1973
Track 14 from Together – Cotillion SD-9919, 1977. Original version from Songs in the Key of Life – Motown T13-340C2, 1976
Track 15 from Let Me in Your Life – Atlantic SD-7292, 1974. Original version (from 1967) later released on Looking Back – Motown M9-804A3, 1977
Track 16 from Afrodisiac – RCA Victor LSP-4834, 1973. Original version from Music of My Mind – Tamla T-314L, 1972
Track 17 from At Home – Columbia CS 9908, 1969. Original version from My Cherie Amour – Tamla TS-296, 1969
Track 18 from Windsong – Warner Bros. 23687, 1982
Track 19 from We Came to Play – Capitol ST-791, 1971. Original version from For Once in My Life – Tamla TS-291, 1968
Track 20 from A Man of Value – MGM Records SE-4861, 1972. Original version from Music of My Mind