Eivets Rednow...Alfie

AMG Review of Eivets Rednow...Alfie

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

By 1968, Motown had Wonder pegged as a soul-pop shouter, so his harmonica instrumental of "Alfie," and the movie theme that had been a Top 15 hit for Dionne Warwick in 1967 was released under another name -- his own spelled backwards -- and on a different record label. This album, issued after that single made number 66 on the pop chart, consists of more harmonica instrumentals, everything from "A House Is Not a Home" to "Grazing in the Grass," and is enough to convince you that Wonder, who, after all, broke through playing harmonica, is a tuneful player of the instrument, more a Larry Adler than a Bob Dylan. Nevertheless, this is a minor item in the Wonder catalog.