Stevie Wonder, Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate | Track Review 🎵

After an extended hiatus, soul icon Stevie Wonder returns with some friends on the woke single, “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate.”

Ah, 🎙 Stevie Wonder – a name that carries tremendous weight (understatement).  The iconic musician hasn’t released a new album since 2005 (A Time to Love). 15 years later, he’s back with a seven-minute, socially and politically ‘woke’ single, 🎵 “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate.”  He’s not all alone either, as he calls upon a star-studded cast: 🎙 Rapsody, 🎙 Cordae, 🎙 Chika, and 🎙 Busta Rhymes.

Rapsody performs the intro, before following up with the first verse. Here, she references instances of police brutality, racial injustice, and making a lit allusion to the Academy Award winning Best Picture, 12 Years a Slave (“Many years a slave, took notes from Lupita”). Cordae follows on the second verse, continuing the politically charged, socially conscious vein of the record.  Furthermore, his flow is incredibly compelling: “In the projects, tenement walls, sudden withdrawals / A true rebel is easy to spot the government flaws / Mass confusion, people in power commit collusion…” All of that greatness takes place before the man of the hour, Mr. Stevie Wonder ever sings one note.

Stevie Wonder arrives for the third verse, continuing the chorus-less nature of “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate” as of yet. Always socially conscious, the most shocking thing the Grammy winner does is drop the f-bomb, something clearly uncharacteristic of the squeaky-clean music of his career.

“You say that you believe that all lives matter
I say, I don’t believe the fuck you do
You say, ‘All things in time’
I say, ‘That’s why I’m not gonna put it in the hands of fate.’”

The ‘bomb’ may be surprising, but the message is pitch perfect, continuing onto the chorus, led by Busta Rhymes, and featuring response vocals by Wonder.  A choir sings most of the bridge, with Wonder finishing it off and moving on to the fourth verse, continuing his socially charged message: “I say, ‘First Amendment everyday ‘cause we can’t put it in the hands of fate.’” Further in, the 5^th verse arrives courtesy of CHIKA, who powerfully asserts, “We don’t need no politics to try to justify the plight / It’s a problem oof the people, it’s no longer black and white.” Busta finally gets his own verse, referencing Colin Kaepernick, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.  Stevie provides a few more bars on the seventh and final verse, before the extended final chorus by him and Busta.

Final Thoughts 💭 

The message of “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate” is awesome. Each performer adds to the woke-ness.  Focusing on Stevie Wonder, he sounds fantastic, particularly considering he’s 70 (last we heard him he was 55!). That said, I enjoy the message and lyrics more than the song itself.  It’s groovy and spirited but quite doesn’t deliver the same iconic vibes as his classics (not that I expected it to) or more feasibly, the same vibes as the standouts from his very strong A Time to Love.  Still, I wouldn’t be writing so many words about this song if there weren’t plenty to be excited about, most prominently new music from Wonder.

🎙 Stevie Wonder • 🎵 “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate” (Ft. Rapsody, Cordae, Chika & Busta Rhymes) • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 10.13.20

[ 📷: UMG Recordings, Inc.]