Curtis is quite explicit. The first song, "Get Down", says: "After life and desire there is nothing left/We're all children
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of the world/A hungry man in search of a hungry girl." After a series of love, peace and come-together songs (during which he never once mentions God), he ends with a song dedicated to his woman: "For I need you constantly/Spirit and holy ghost in me."
One of the main problems with this album is that you can feel a lack of conviction. There's a marked difference between what the lyrics say and what Curtis expresses musically. Nor is it a matter of mere commercialism.
Curtis has a uniquely beautiful voice. He often sounds like he's crying–or at least pleading. His best songs with the Impressions were the inspirational ones like "Keep on Pushing" and "We're A Winner," or his truly heartbreaking ones like "Seven Years." There was pain and shared suffering in all his songs, the love songs as well as the uplift songs–pain in his singing, in the melodies, in the elegant harmonies. He won me over years ago with the lyrics to one of his earliest hits, "It's All Right": "When you wake up early in the morning/Feeling sad like so many of us do/Have a little soul and make life your goal." The beauty of the first two lines and stiltedness of the end of the third line is typical of Mayfield lyrics.
On the new record he pours all this passion into a line about people in the neighborhood getting together, and I can't believe him. His earthy, lusty song, "Get Down," despite all the panting girls in the background, and all the attempts at funkiness, comes out singularly un-erotic. His concluding song of devotion to his woman, "Love To Keep You On My Mind," is so oversimplified that, despite some fine moments, it is unconvincing and a bit silly.
The past few years have been rather painful transitional years for soul music, and this is only one of many sort of schizoid attempts. Mayfield still has a lot going for him. Some of the harmonies on this record are astounding, and his rhythm section is fine. Roots is a strangely peaceful album, and when Curtis occasionally gets his thing together, really beautiful. But in the end he winds up leaving you frustrated and hungry. (RS 102)
RUSSELL GERSTEN
Roots, which came out in 1971, found the great Curtis Mayfield momentarily catching his breath, collecting himself between peaks of achievement. He had already made his mark with the Impressions in the Sixties, blending the fervor of the black church with the optimistic conviction of the civil-rights movement on such masterpieces as "I'm So Proud," "Keep on Pushin'," "People Get Ready" and "Amen." Then, in 1970, he successfully went solo, releasing
Curtis, followed by
Curtis/Live! the next year.
The background explains the confidence, poise and stylistic range so evident on Roots. Mayfield explores the sources of his inspiration, as well as the influential song form that he helped invent -- expanded, soulful meditations on subjects personal and political. The album's high point is "We Got to Have Peace," an anti-war dance jam that, in perfect Mayfield fashion, combines an uplifting message with an unstoppable groove. "Beautiful Brother of Mine" delivers an impassioned plea to the African-American community ("Together we're truly black power/Learning to trust by the hour") in the wake of the previous decade's social gains. "Now You're Gone" binds a bluesy, hypnotic spell on the theme of lost love, while "Love to Keep You in My Mind" ends the album on a luxurious note of fulfillment.
Throughout Roots, as throughout his entire career, Mayfield sings in that signature voice of his: a sensuous tenor croon that glides effortlessly into a swoon-inducing falsetto. It's a complex sound simultaneously imbued with calm and urgency, one well suited to a singer-songwriter committed to the subtlety of every situation and emotion. On Roots, Mayfield was beginning to appreciate the full reach of his talents. And Superfly was lurking just around the corner. (RS 806)
ANTHONY DECURTIS
This record is one of Mayfield's strongest - a bold, explosive mix of serious funk and righteous melodies. When he says, "Get down to the funky, funky groove" -- it's not an invitation to party, it's a command. "Keep On Keeping On" is one of Mayfield's sweetest melodies - a track so strong and uplifting that you'll be high-fiving everyone you see for weeks afterward.
