CURTIS

Curtis Mayfield's remarkable debut album begins with the singer calling out over a fat bass line, "Sisters! Niggers! Whities! Jews! Crackers! Don't worry, if there's a Hell below, we're all gonna go!" A mixed message, to be sure. Mayfield is defined by them, perhaps the only singer who could make drug dealing street tales and warnings of damnation sound downright soothing, with the aid of his silky, featherlight voice.

Curtis (1970) was released a year before Mayfield left the Impressions but he'd already used his last few years with the soul group to lay the groundwork for his debut, writing a series of socially and politically anthemic pop songs. Curtis is a uniquely ambitious effort though. "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go" delivers its dire message over a blisteringly funky groove, as if Mayfield expects us to dance into hell.

The mad, rhythm-driven energy which defines the opening track is only glimpsed a few more times on the record, Mayfield instead opting for a softer, gentler sound to address social concerns as wide ranging as the decaying of America's cities ("The Other Side of Town") and the need to celebrate black women ("Miss Black America"). "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue" strikes a balance between the two sounds, its painful dirge split down the middle by a galloping, rhythmic bridge.

When not in a political mindset, Curtis, wanders into slightly saccharine territory, but these diversions are still gorgeous and welcome. Beginning with a harp and horn laden intro straight out of a Disney musical, "The Makings of You" sees Mayfield singing of roses, sugar and "the joy of children laughing around you". Album closer "Give It Up" presents a portrait of a failing marriage over an oddly casual and comforting ramble of guitar and harp, though the hurt in Mayfield's voice when he sings "the warmth of embraces, and the love of our faces / it never happened, you see" is undeniably heartbreaking.

"Move On Up" is arguably the album's centerpiece and one of Mayfield's most well known songs. Its first half is pop perfection, a perpetual climax riding on an unmistakable and ebullient horn section and Mayfield's pep talk lyrics. The uplifting message and celebratory tone of the song presents a striking contrast to the album's darker moments. At the four minute mark, its components reconfigure into a frantic, extended jam, the rhythm and irresistible motion of it sounding like a thrilling cross between funk, afrobeat and more modern styles of dance music still years off from 1970.



What's so remarkable about these songs is how well they hold up and how relevant their messages still seem. As he would prove again two years later with his soundtrack to the film "Super Fly" - a catalog of the wild highs and lows of a typical drug dealer, ten years ahead of the war on drugs and fifteen years ahead of gangsta rap - Mayfield understood the soul of urban America better than most. With its combination of reassuringly smooth sounds and delicately powerful words, Mayfield recognized the worries and fears of a troubled America and answered them with positivity, thoughtfulness and dignity.