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Rating: Great |
Since the early 1960s, Curtis Mayfield had proven to the world what a great commercial writer he was. Not only did he produce hits for his own band, The Impressions, but he also scored serious chart hits with acts like Major Lance, Jan Bradley, and even Brian Hyland. But while his pop-soul credentials were impeccable, he had also built a name for himself as a leading exponent of black music with songs that reflected the civil rights movement in the US. By 1970, this aspect of his music had morphed into Black Power consciousness, and his first full-fledged foray into rougher territory came with his first solo album, "Curtis."
Though he was apparently still with the Impressions when he recorded Curtis, the music he laid down was a different beast altogether. Instead of the smooth pop of his former band, he opted for a grittier funk and psychedelic edge to deliver this mind-expanding missive. Recorded at a time when, as Curtis himself put it, "...people stopped wearing tuxedos...people got a little more down," the album, encouraged by his manager, allowed Mayfield to spread his wings and experiment a bit more.
While the juxtaposition of strings, harps, and pounding backbeats may have stemmed more from his lack of musical training, the results were startling. Mixing contemporary themes of racial pride and civic responsibility ("Miss Black America," "Move On Up"), the album was a heady brew of realism and danceable grooves. With only one hit ("(Don't Worry) If There's Hell Below We're All Going To Go"), Curtis still sold well and launched Mayfield's career to the point where he finally threw off the shackles of commercialism (he left the Impressions for good the following year), becoming a spokesman for his generation.
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