If you have any ounce of auditory awareness after putting this album in your system, the first couple of minutes may just send chills down your spine. Such is the hard-hitting introduction to this masterpiece in the Soul/Funk genre. Those are essentially the two styles Curtis Mayfield chose to weave and intertwine into his self-titled debut. He not only brought us a breathtaking musical experience, but also showed us that an entertaining and thought-provoking record could be made out of soulful croonings of fundamentally conscious lyrics. It was one of the first kinds of those albums that would trend in the 70′s. I can name you five songs that have sampled from this record and there are likely many more artists and producers who have borrowed from this endless reservoir of lyricism and harmonies.

The intro, as mentioned before, is certainly hard-hitting if not brash. After a woman speaks of biblical scriptures Mayfield proclamates “(Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell Below, We’re All Gonna Go”, and follows that with haunting scream that echoes into the blazing bass line. What we get is a calling out of all the agents in the societal hierarchy that are guilty of greed, manipulation, and lies. “They’re all political actors” announces Mayfield. I would put this track right up there with any of the great socially conscious ones of the 70′s and beyond. After serving you this cup of wake the heck up; the album takes a relatively mellow turn almost seamlessly. It was almost like he wanted to get something off of his chest and then bring you in closer to more string and trumpet driven arrangements. If you are familiar with the sound of Philly Soul then you know just how expensive and detailed their production was and you get a very similar feel to that here. There are layers upon layers of piano rolls, strings, horns, over a wide variety of percussion on songs like “Other Side of Town” and “Move On Up”. Basically, if you ever wanted to hear a full blown orchestra in a more controlled, lyrically driven atmosphere, you will get more than your fill here.

Mayfield’s narrative is consistently from the point of view of a street corner dweller who is just trying to convey his struggle to anyone who cares. His endless falsetto is unwavering as he demands much from it and it is at its best in “Makings Of You”. It is a very pure and honest performance that is one of my favorite songs from him. “We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue” has quite a triumphant backdrop that may just have you unconsciously puffing your chest up. It is a very uplifting song as he croons “there is no time for segregating” and “if your mind could really see, you know your color the same as me”. Some of these songs also have fleshed out beat breaks in the middle and end that really emphasize a song and leave a lasting impression. There were absolutely no corners cut here, at the end of this you will be able to say that each musical landscape was explored to its fullest.

by Abid