Roots (Curtis Mayfield album)

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Roots
Curtis Mayfield - Roots album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Curtis Mayfield
ReleasedOctober 1971
RecordedRCA Studios, Chicago, Illinois
GenreProgressive soul[1]
Length39:15
LabelCurtom
ProducerCurtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield chronology
Curtis/Live!
(1971) 		Roots
(1971) 		Superfly
(1972)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic4.5/5 stars[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB–[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide''4/5 stars[6]
Rolling Stone (1971)(unfavorable)[4]
Rolling Stone (1999)(favorable)[5]
Tom Hull – on the WebA–[7]

Roots is Curtis Mayfield’s second studio album, released in October 1971. Having received critical praise from a variety of publications, the album is regarded as not just one of Mayfield's best works but also as a classic release of the '70s soul era, with Allmusic critic Bruce Eder stating that "the album soars on some of the sweetest and most eloquent... soul sounds heard up to that time". The album became a commercial success as well, hitting the #6 slot on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.[2]

Track listing[]

Original release[]

All songs written and composed by Curtis Mayfield, except as noted.

  1. "Get Down" – 5:45
  2. "Keep On Keeping On" – 5:08
  3. "Underground" – 5:15
  4. "We Got to Have Peace" – 4:44
  5. "Beautiful Brother of Mine" – 7:23
  6. "Now You're Gone" (Mayfield, Joseph Scott) – 6:50
  7. "Love to Keep You in My Mind" – 3:48

Bonus tracks[]

In 1999, Rhino Records re-released the album with four bonus tracks including a demo version of "Underground" and single edits for "Get Down', "We Got to Have Peace" and "Beautiful Brother of Mine".

  1. "Underground" [demo version] – 3:17
  2. "Get Down" [Single edit] – 3:55
  3. "We Got to Have Peace" [Single edit] – 3:39
  4. "Beautiful Brother of Mine" [Single edit] – 3:09

Personnel[]

Chart positions[]

Chart (1971) Peak
position
Billboard Top LPs 40
Billboard Top Soul LPs 6

References[]

  1. ^ Donovan, Charles (March 6, 2019). "Chapter One of Curtis Mayfield's Solo Career Gets a Much-Needed Makeover". PopMatters. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Eder, Bruce. Roots at AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Rolling Stone review
  5. ^ Rolling Stone review
  6. ^ Hoard, Christian (November 24, 2004). "Review: Roots". Rolling Stone: 523–524.
  7. ^ Hull, Tom (June 22, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 24, 2021.



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