Seems like yesterday… I was sitting around late one night with one of my main collaborators at the time, in front of his Roland keyboard in his house right off Berryessa.  Dean was and is a cool dude. We were tossing around ideas for our next song and talking about how cool it was that we had artists like Stevie Wonder to look up to.  Stevie had just performed in Oakland, CA but we couldn’t make it to the show and we were kicking ourselves for that.  Now I’m probably not unique in saying that Stevie Wonder is one of my heroes.  He is immensely talented and there is no one like him.  Dean and I sat around sharing favorite songs from our favorite singer/songwriter/producer.

We continued talking about Stevie Wonder, and got more and more inspired so we continued writing.  Dean and I were both night owls and usually we didn’t know when to stop but finally we said our good-nights and I headed out to my car and drove back home.

As soon as I got home, I turned on the TV to catch the late night news.  Immediately staring back at me was a beautiful reporter speaking about the anniversary of “Songs In The Key of Life” by Stevie Wonder.

Intrigued, I picked up my phone and called Dean, “Bro, what does Stevie Wonder see?…..”.

It was one of those weird moments like when you’re talking about someone you haven’t spoken to in years and then the phone rings and it’s that very same person on the other end of the line.  You can’t help but feel that there is some spiritual connection at play.

So imagine how we felt when only minutes after concluding an hour long discussion about the life and work of Stevie Wonder, we hear the breaking news of the celebration of the anniversary of Songs In The Key of Life.  Which, to date, in my opinion, is the greatest album of all time!  To this day, I remember my conversation with Dean vividly.  We’ve always felt a kinship and spiritual connection to Stevie Wonder.

What does Stevie Wonder see?

More than most…his vision is supernatural and God has granted him access to a soulful sight that views love, pain, joy, and injustice through a prism that goes beyond physical sight. To have penned classic after classic time after time, this man has vision beyond sight.

So it was a blessing and an honor that recently, I was fortunate enough to get Errol Cooney, one of Stevie’s guitar players, to play my rhythm and acoustic guitar parts for me on my cover of one of my all-time favorite Stevie songs, “Rocket Love”.  Errol and I met years ago before he started playing with Stevie.  Errol, being nothing short of one of the best guitar players I’ve ever heard, has worked on 2 of my albums.

I recall my conversation with Dean about the first time I heard, “Rocket Love”. I’m not sure what captured me…..the lyric, the melody, or the wonderful arrangement….(perhaps all of the above).  Actually, it was probably the breakup that I was getting over….  Funny how a girl gets in the mix somehow….  

I produced my version a bit more rhythmic than Stevie’s, and with the help of Errol on guitar….WOW…..I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to perform on a record that has made a lasting impression on me.

My version of Stevie’s “Rocket Love” is not currently available for sale but as a THANK YOU for being one of my subscribers, I want to give this to you for free – no strings attached.

Download my version of Rocket Love here.

If you like the track, you might also consider checking out “When The Smoke Clears”.  It’s my latest album and it’s full of Pop/R&B tunes that I like to think would make my hero, Stevie Wonder, proud.  

All the best,

Ejshani