This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Think of how many great songs Stevie Wonder has written. Then think about the hundreds of artists that have covered them.
Now think about all the covers — like The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Higher Ground or Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Superstition — that are almost as memorable as the originals. Then ask yourself: Do we really need a Stevie Wonder tribute CD? Well, when that CD is Conception, the answer is no. Dominated by soul crooners like Mary J. Blige, Angie Stone, Brian McKnight and India.Arie, this 14-song disc gets bogged down in an endless series of slow grooves and buttery boudoir vocals from artists who sound like they’re trying to do Wonder instead of do him justice. Aside from a few energetic cuts like Eric Clapton’s boogie-blues take on Higher Ground, Glenn Lewis’s snappy Superstition and John Mellencamp’s raspy I Don’t Know Why I Love You, even Stevie could see Conception doesn’t live up to the reality of his genius.
