Введение
Curtis – дебютный студийный альбом американского соул-музыканта Кертиса Мэйфилда, вышедший в сентябре 1970 года. Продюсером альбома выступил сам Мэйфилд, он был выпущен на его собственном лейбле Curtom Records. Музыкальный стиль Кертиса отошел от поп-соул звучания его предыдущей группы The Impressions и испытал большее влияние фанка и психоделики. Темы альбома затрагивают политические и социальные проблемы того времени. Альбом имел коммерческий успех, достигнув первого места в чарте Billboard Black Albums (в течение пяти не последовательных недель) и девятнадцатой позиции в чарте Billboard Pop Albums. В США в чарты попал только сингл "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go"; однако, отредактированная версия песни "Move On Up" продержалась 10 недель в топ-50 британского чарта синглов. В 2020 году альбом занял 275-е место в списке 500 величайших альбомов всех времен по версии журнала Rolling Stone.
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Предыстория
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Мэйфилд начал работу над своим одноименным альбомом в 1970 году. Хотя он и не планировал окончательно покидать The Impressions, он официально покинул группу в 1971 году по рекомендации своего бизнес-менеджера Марва Стюарта, учитывая тенденцию сольных выступлений среди R&B и рок-исполнителей.
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Запись и производство
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Как и в некоторых его более поздних работах для The Impressions, тексты Мэйфилда отражали социальную и политическую обеспокоенность, царившую в афроамериканском сообществе того времени. Мэйфилд был одним из первых артистов, открыто говоривших об афроамериканской гордости и борьбе сообщества. Он вспоминал это время как "эпоху перемен, когда люди перестали носить смокинги и стали более раскрепощенными".
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Критический прием
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
В рецензии для Rolling Stone Джон Венделл выразил разочарование альбомом Curtis, посчитав, что большая часть музыки Мэйфилда более ритмична, чем мелодична, "фрагментарна, невнятна и утомительна для прослушивания"; он назвал тексты бессистемными и лицемерными. "Он пытается разобраться с довольно серьезными и сложными темами, соединяя фразы, заканчивающиеся одним и тем же звуком, независимо от того, имеют ли они смысл вместе или нет", – критиковал Венделл. "Конечно, это все субъективно, но я не вижу, что нам нужно "Уважение к шпилю/власть народу". Критик Village Voice Роберт Кристагоу также остался не слишком впечатлен "по сути, руководствами для среднего класса по черной гордости", представленными в альбоме, но оговорился, что его суждение отражает определенную степень культурного релятивизма, отметив, что афроамериканская аудитория положительно восприняла запись. Брюс Эдер из AllMusic отметил, что Мэйфилд "принял самые прогрессивные соул-звучания эпохи" в альбоме, который был "практически Sgt. Pepper's альбомом соула 70-х". В The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) Джеффри Хаймс написал, что песни остаются неотразимо запоминающимися, хотя иногда послания Мэйфилда были упрощены, а производство звучало чрезмерно "вычурным". Treblezine включил альбом в список 10 важнейших альбомов психоделического соула.
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Награды
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
В 1972 году Мэйфилд получил премию Prix Otis Redding (за лучший R&B-альбом) от Académie du Jazz за альбом Curtis.
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Кавер-версии
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Песня "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" была перепета британской рок-группой Babe Ruth на их третьем альбоме Babe Ruth.
Curtis is the debut studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelic influenced sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time. Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted in the United States; however, an edited version of "Move On Up" would spend 10 weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 275 on Rolling Stone'''s 500 greatest albums of all time list. Background
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Mayfield began work on his own self titled album in 1970. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, he would officially leave them in 1971, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart and given the trend for both R&B and rock artists to go solo. Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African American pride and community struggle. Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era when people stopped wearing tuxedos people were getting down a little more." Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Wendell was disappointed by Curtis, finding much of Mayfield's music more rhythmic than melodic, "fragmentary, garbled and frustrating to listen to"; he called the lyrics haphazardly written and mealy mouthed. "He tries to deal with some pretty serious and complex subjects by stringing together phrases that end with the same sound—whether they make sense together or not", Wendell critiqued. "Sure, it's all subjective, but I can't myself see that what we need is 'Respect for the steeple/power to the people.'" The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also somewhat unmoved by the album's "essentially middle class guides to black pride" but qualified his judgment as reflecting a certain degree of cultural relativism on his part, making note of African American audiences having embraced the record. Bruce Eder from AllMusic said Mayfield had "embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era" on an album that was "practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul". In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Geoffrey Himes wrote that the songs remained irresistibly catchy, even though sometimes Mayfield's messages were oversimplified and the production sounded excessively "ornate". Treblezine names it among the 10 essential albums of psychedelic soul. Awards
In 1972, Mayfield won the Prix Otis Redding (best R&B album) from the Académie du Jazz for Curtis. Cover
The song "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" has been covered by the British rock band Babe Ruth on their third album Babe Ruth''.
Список треков
Все песни написаны и сочинены Кертисом Мэйфильдом, за исключением специально указанных.
All songs written and composed by Curtis Mayfield except where noted.
Альбом
Год Пик позиций в чартах США Поп-альбомы США R&B-альбомы США R&B-синглы
1970 "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" 29 3 —
1971 "Move On Up" — — 12
Year Peak chart positions U. S. Pop albums U. S. R&B albums U. S. R&B Singles 1970"(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" 29 3 — 1971"Move On Up" — — 12