The brilliance of Stevie Wonder cannot be overstated.

Try, for example, to make a list of modern R&B singers that are not in some way indebted the man. Or better yet, jot down all the pop icons you can think of that have been able to remain as vital and relevant as Wonder during his hit making years.

Both will be short lists. Wonder can boast of classics that span the golden age of Motown and the Regan Era, from "Fingertips Pt. 2" through "Part Time Lover." And that's not to mention the memorable songs he's penned or co-written for other people (i.e. Rufus and Chaka Kahn's "Tell Me Something Good") and the smash hits rappers have had with songs built on Wonder samples (i.e. Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise," Will Smiths' "Wild Wild West" theme.)

And if absence makes the heart grow fonder, we should be hella fond of Stevie. Before his current trek kicked off in San Diego on Aug. 23, it had been a dozen years since his last tour, and more than two decades since his last Seattle area performance. So Friday night's show at Woodinville's Chateau Ste Michelle is a slam dunk for Puget Sound's musical happening of the year, evident before tickets disappeared in a matter of minutes.

The anticipation was palpable by the time daughter, backup singer Aisha Morris escorted the blind singer-songwriter onto the Chateau stage. Wonder began with a few heartfelt thanks, and dedicated the performance to his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, who died last year. “We thought we’d see her on Thursday, and Wednesday she was gone,” he recalled.

Then the legend proceeded to show the capacity crowd just how worth the wait he was. Wonder sat at a black grand piano as he kicked things off with the uplifting and highly underrated ballad “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” from his '70s masterpiece album, “Songs in the Key of Life.” And from the start, his voice sounded as robust and expressive as ever.

Wonder turned to a Yamaha synthesizer for the next number, "Too High." And during the course of the show he was backed by a tight 11-piece band with jaw-dropping rhythm section that featured three percussionists. Wonder and his outfit segued effortlessly between heartrending ballads, jazzy jams and kinetic funk grooves that had Baby Boomers shaking their money makers with wild abandon. (Click here for the full set list.)

And how could they resist? “Living for the City” is one of the most piercing protest songs of the rock era - one of the best numbers in the man's arsenal for my money. I literally got chills as he played it. And it was the number that really turned the heat up, the beginning of a groovy stretch that included “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” - his reggae-inflected hit from 1980 - and ever-potent funk jam “Higher Ground."

There were several spontaneous moments Friday. “Ribbon in the Sky” seemed to be winding down when Wonder caught a second wind and slipped into a jazzy groove. He separated the men and women in the audience, and coached each gender for the call and response part of the show.

“Fellas, if you get this part right you might get a little somethin’, somethin’ tonight,” he joked. (Let’s just say some of the fellas could have used a rhythm boost. No “somethin’, somethin’” for them.)

Wonder further galvanized the crowd with '60s hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” declaring at one point, “This could be a country song” before singing the chorus with a campy, faux-hillbilly accent.

“I’m not being funny. I like country music,” he insisted, playing a bit of a Charlie Rich song to prove his point. “I may be from the hood, but I know country music.” Then he had the whole crowd singing along with twangy remake of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."

Among other late set highlights were a story Wonder told about writing “My Cherie Amour” as a teen for the sole purpose of seducing a fan named Marsha. “All I got at the end of the day was a kiss and a smile,” he said, recalling the day he played the song for her. But thank God he tried, since "My Cherie" has been the soundtrack to puppy love everywhere since.

Then following the the powerful one-two punch of “Sir Duke”/ “I Wish,” Aisha Morris sat with her dad during “Isn’t She Lovely,” a song on which she made her recording debut in 1976. The baby you hear in the song is her, shortly after she was born.

Wonder’s set wound down with “Superstition,” “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and “Another Star,” after which Wonder got a little choked up as he said a few inspirational words about “freedom of choice.”

“Most important, we have a choice to use our hearts to love,” he said, adding a few angry words about “haters” and intolerance. He walked off with a bit of political advice. “When you go to vote next year, make sure you vote for the one who’s committed to making us a unified people,” he said.

Sadly, there was no encore, despite a drum kit that had been set up on the left side of the stage, presumably for one of those frantic drum solos the man has been known to wow crowds with since he was "Little" Stevie Wonder 45 years ago. And sadly, there was also no “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” either.

But it was one of those concerts that everyone will remember and cherish. One can only hope, given Wonder's track record for touring, that this isn’t the last time we'll get to see the man live in these parts.

We could use him now more than ever. A little Stevie Wonder is good for the soul.

Wonder starts the show with "Love's in Need of Love Today" (top); but only after delivering a few heartfelt words about his late mother, with daughter Aisha Morris at his side.
AUGUSTUS JASMIN