By 1968, The Impressions had developed a great deal since their founding a decade earlier. They were a much different group then they were in 1958 when they were lead by Jerry Butler and predominantly a doo-wop group. The vocal arrangements had become less overwhelming, and the focus had shifted more so towards the instrumentation. One thing that remained consistent was the quality of their recordings. Under the leadership of Curtis Mayfield and his remarkable work ethic, The Impressions failed to release a bad album out of the more than ten they released over the course of the 1960s. As the decade drew to a close, as did Mayfield’s stint as a member, The Impressions put together a real gem titled “This Is My Country”.

The album’s title suggests the content of the album will match the social messages Curtis Mayfield had become known for with through songs like “People Get Ready”. Songs that reflected the social climate during the Civil Rights Movement. The album does indeed open up in the expected fashion with “They Don’t Know”, an upbeat tune on which Mayfield expresses the need for leaders to continue the movement. While the album starts in this fashion, the rest of the album is mostly occupied by relationship songs, two of which are penned in part by a then unknown Donny Hathaway. Mayfield and the Impressions sing about heartbreak on “I’m Loving Nothing” , a slow tune with impressive harmonizing on the chorus, notable as Fred Cash and Sam Gooden do not hold much of a presence elsewhere on the album, not to say that they are not important. The best of the songs portraying a more optimistic view of a relationship is “Love’s Happening”, originally written by Mayfield for the Five Stairsteps. The version seen here is more developed than the original take by the Five Stairsteps.

An important feature of the album is the horn arrangements. The Impressions make use of a long held alliance with producer/arranger John Pate whose arrangements take the album to another level. The title track contains the most striking arrangement which plays along with the vocals and an introduction where the horns contrast with the trio’s vocals. “This Is My Country” is also the album’s most meaningful song.

“This Is My Country” was The Impressions’ first album on Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Label.. Had it been the only album Curtom put out, the label would still be legendary, and had Curtis Mayfield not written anything else, he would still be one of the greatest song writers of all time. Of course neither one of those things happened. Curtis Mayfield broke off from The Impressions several years later, recording a series of classic albums for his label. Even in the deep discography of Curtis Mayfield “This Is My Country” is a standout and one of his best contributions to soul music.

by Phil