Roots (Curtis Mayfield album)

Roots
Studio album by Curtis Mayfield
Released October 1971
Recorded RCA Studios, Chicago, Illinois
Genre Soul, funk, psychedelic soul
Length 39:15
Label Curtom
Producer Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield chronology
Curtis/Live!
(1971)Curtis/Live!1971
Roots
(1971)
Superfly
(1972)Superfly1972
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB−[2]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[3]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Roots is Curtis Mayfield’s second studio album, released in October 1971 (see 1971 in music). 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.[1]

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. 1 2 Eder, Bruce. Roots at AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  2. Robert Christgau review
  3. Rolling Stone review
  4. Rolling Stone review
  5. Hoard, Christian (November 24, 2004). "Review: Roots". Rolling Stone: 523–524.


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