Characters (Stevie Wonder album)

For other albums by the same name, see Character (disambiguation) § Music.
Characters
Studio album by
Stevie Wonder
ReleasedNovember 6, 1987
Recorded1986–1987
Studio
  • Wonderland (Los Angeles, California)
  • 1 Der 1 Mobile Unit
  • Westside Studios (London)[1]
GenreR&B, pop
Length48:34 (LP)
60:59 (CD)
LabelTamla
ProducerStevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder chronology
In Square Circle
(1985) 		Characters
(1987) 		Jungle Fever
(1991)
Singles from Characters
  1. "Skeletons"
    Released: September 1987
  2. "You Will Know"
    Released: March 1988
  3. "Get It"
    Released: May 5, 1988[2]
  4. "My Eyes Don't Cry"
    Released: August 1988
  5. "With Each Beat of My Heart"
    Released: November 1988
  6. "Free"
    Released: February 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune(favorable)[4]
Robert ChristgauA−[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
MusicHound[7]
New Musical Express9/10[8]
Q[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[11]
The New York Times(favorable)[12]

Characters is the twenty-first studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in late 1987. The album features six singles including the Grammy-nominated "Skeletons" (No. 19) and "You Will Know" (No. 77), which both reached number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart (the former being the most-recent American top-40 hit of Wonder's career). The album also contained a duet with Michael Jackson, "Get It" (No. 80), that was a minor hit.

  1. ^ "Stevie Wonder – Characters (1987, Cassette)". Discogs. 6 November 1987.
  2. ^ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "Bad". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
  3. ^ Ruhlmann, William. Characters at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
  4. ^ Van Matre, Lynn (November 15, 1987). "Wonder's Upbeat 'Characters'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert. Consumer Guide Reviews: Characters. The Village Voice. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (November 15, 1987). "Record Rack: Good-Time Wonder". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  7. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1243. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  8. ^ Hewitt, Paolo (14 November 1987). "Golden Wonder". New Musical Express. p. 34.
  9. ^ Bradley, Lloyd (January 1988). "Chunky: Stevie Wonder Characters". Q. p. 81.
  10. ^ "Stevie Wonder: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  11. ^ David Wild (1988-01-28). "Characters | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  12. ^ Pareles, Jon (November 22, 1987). "RECORDINGS; A Pair of Pop Albums Hit a Political Groove". The New York Times.