CURTIS MAYFIELD - Roots (1971) / Curtis In Chicago (1973) / Sweet Exorcist (1974) / Do It All Night (1978)

Four pieces more from King Curtis!! First we come with "Roots", a huge treat, and one of the best Curtis Mayfield albums you can find!! A true landmark, not only of Chicago Soul, but of 70's Soul in general. Then, Curtis goes to Chi-Town with some friends to spread some live messages to the people!! It's not simply a Curtis Mayfield album, it's more of a nostalgic nod to Curtis past, and the past of Soul and R&B!! It features Curtis, the Impressions, Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, and others as they run through a selection of their most famous and classic hits!! Third, "Sweet Exorcist", a wonderfully wicked album from Curtis, one that's not nearly as famous as his Superfly set, but which is every bit as great!! The groove here is lean, mean, and totally righteous, a bit more stripped-down than some of the rumbling Funk of other efforts, and served up with a fluid groove that makes the album a killer from start to finish!! As with Superfly, there's a nice blend here between uptight funky tracks and some more laidback Soul, showcasing both sides of the Curtis Mayfield sound of the 70´s, the brash society-changing Soul, and the mellower, more fragile voice that first came to prominence in The Impressions!! And last but not least, cause we´ll bring more and more albums from Curtis, the 1978´s "Do It All Night", a clubbier album than usual from Curtis Mayfield, a mid 70´s attempt to move onto the dancefloor, but a set that's still got the undeniable Mayfield charm!! Half the tracks here were done in collaboration with Disco maestro Gil Askey, and these numbers are longer tracks that soar and sway on waves of rhythms and subtle strings, all in a mode that's clearly going for a Philly-styled groove, and which manages to come pretty close in the end!! The second half of the album, though, is quite different, mellower numbers that follow through on some of the more personal Soul styles that Curtis was laying down on other Curtom albums from the time, a great blend of gentle rhythms, warm instrumentation, and those always-sweet Mayfield vocals, a sound that almost reminds us of some of the best mellow Soul of the time from labelmate Leroy Hutson!!

Roots (1971) - Tracklisting:

1. Get Down
2. Keep On Keeping On
3. Underground
4. We Got To Have Peace
5. Beautiful Brother Of Mine
6. Now You're Gone
7. Love To Keep You In My Mind
















Curtis In Chicago (1973) - Tracklisting:

1. Superfly
2. For Your Precious Love
3. I'm So Proud
4. Once In My Life
5. Preacher Man
6. If I Were Only A Child Again
7. Duke Of Earl
8. Love Oh Love
9. Amen
















Sweet Exorcist (1974) - Tracklisting:

1. Ain't Got Time
2. Sweet Exorcist
3. To Be Invisible
4. Power To The People
5. Kung Fu
6. Suffer
7. Make Me Believe In You















Do It All Night (1978) - Tracklisting:

1. Do It All Night
2. No Goodbyes
3. Party, Party
4. Keeps Me Loving You
5. In Love, In Love, In Love
6. You Are, You Are