Album of the Day

As a founder of The Impressions, Curtis Mayfield played a key role in the development of soul; the singer-songwriter launched a solo career with a self-produced 1971 debut that boasts the same social awareness as his previous group while traversing tougher musical territory. Cut in Chicago, CURTIS serves up simmering funk and psychedelia on eight originals, including epic side openers "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" and "Move On Up." Seen through the eyes of one of R&B's greatest poets, the collection offered a look at “what's going on” in black America during the Nixon years – though its compassion for all people makes the album timeless. Now available as a 180-gram pressing, a 50th Anniversary edition of CURTIS features a second LP of bonus tracks new to vinyl.