Customer Reviews

Roots

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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I love the way these classic albums are coming out remastered with deeper clarity now. I just got this and I'm not going to talk much about what a sweet, fantastic, funky, awesome, inspiring album this is from a rare genius in the prime of his career. I just wanted to say that this remaster brings the energy up even more, the high hats and snare has a beautiful crispness that was just not there at all in the previous muddy cd issue of this album. I am really happy with this reissue and recommend buying it even if you have the previous older version without the few extra tracks on the end. Curtis Mayfield was a one of a kind and this reissue gives even more arguement that this is perhaps his greatest album.

I'm not sure which of Curtis' first two albums was his best but they were both incredible. 1971's ROOTS picks up right where CURTIS left off the year before. I dare say that only the Rolling Stones made music anywhere near as good as Curtis during this late sixties early seventies period. Don't believe me? Name four better consecutive albums than CURTIS, ROOTS, CURTIS/LIVE, and SUPERFLY which were all released between 70' and 73'. We are talking about MAYBE two or three average songs among all these albums combined, with the rest being absolutely top notch if not downright historic. Every song seems to bring a different emotion, and though there are only 8 they are all extremely potent. It is almost impossible to fast forward a track on this CD- I for one can't do it. Ever. It's good.

While he may have produced consistently great, intellectual and popular music throughout his entire career, Curtis Mayfield was on a creative roll in the early to mid 70's, and "Roots" is one of his strongest efforts. While not quite as stunning in it's epic sweep as the flawless "Curtis", or as hard-hitting as the best moments on "Superfly", "Roots" is nonetheless a great LP.
From the opener, "Get Down" and the ultra-funky "Underground" to my favorite track, the ghostly sounding "Beautiful Brother of Mine", this second solo outing is a feast for the ears.
Mayfield would completely explode the possibilities of his medium and alter black pop forever the following year with "SUPERFLY", but for the time being he was content to soften his preachiness a tad with this release, and we, the lucky listener, reap all the benefits. A Classic.

What a great piece of music! Maybe one of Curtis' best. "Get Down" makes anyone who hears it want to really rock. It is also inspirational in "Keep On Keepin On", wonderfully complex in the "Underground".

I may never have heard a more affirming song than "We Got To Have Peace". Curtis' voice has never been more lofty, his arranging tighter than anything since Superfly.

Great stuff.

this album starts off on the funk with get down and his trademark wah wah guitar effect.beautiful brother of mine,underground,we got to have peace speak of the genius poet.he could do so many styles and still have his signature sound thru it all.this disc reflects that and more.

Far more varied than Curtis: there's a great funk song, "Get Down", and he does another one of those mid-song paradigm shifts on "Keep On Keepin' On" (from a string-laced ballad to a funk song), and there's also a jazzy poetry recitation on "Underground" that falls flat: after that ends, it thankfully sinks into a Santana-esque polyrhythmic groove; "Now You've Gone" is an orchestrated blues that does slightly overstay its welcome. Some of it recalls the debut, but in a good way: "Beautiful Brother of Mine", the album's huge Isaac Hayes like-epic, has a memorable rapid-fire string introduction. Musically, it's not too different from "Hell Below", but its arrangement is captivating, the rhythms are powerful, and the distorted, watery guitar solo is exquisite. I do think that "We Gotta Have Peace" is rather over-the-top, true as the title may be, and "Love to Keep You on My Mind" is simply mawkish. On a song-by-song level, I think Curtis is a better album, but the stylistic variety to be found here is always entertaining, so I'll say they're about on the same level.

In my opinion, Roots is Curtis Mayfield's best album and one of the best soul/R&B album ever. This album beats out Curtis and just edges out Superfly, mainly becuase the songs are stronger. Get Down is the most wellknown song on the album, but it is not the best. It is a really good song, but it might actually be the worst song on the album. Keep On Keeping On is one of the best songs here and one of my favorites by Curtis. Underground is another really great song, both musically and lyrically. We Got To Have Peace may get slightly monotonous after a while, but it is still a very good song. Beutiful Brother Of Mine might be the best song on the album, but it's hard to say. Now You're Gone and Love To Keep You In My Mind are both really goo, but maybe slightly less impressive. These songs all fit together to make an incredible listening experience, making this Curtis Mayfield's best album.

An Extension of the promise his solo carreer showed on 1970's 'Curtis', 'Roots' gets deeper into the funk and sows the seeds for Curtis Mayfield's third album and all-time greatest work, 'Superfly'.

The album kicks off with 'Get Down', which, like the 'Curtis' album opener 'If There's hell Below...', combines slamming street funk (Curtis' rhthym section) with excellent strings and horns decoration. This track sets the tone for the remainder of the album which Curtis performs with utmost conviction, especially on 'message' tracks such as 'Keep On keeping On' and 'We've Got to Have Peace'. Everything a great album should be - great material performed in a way that does it justice.

Like most of Curtis' early 70s discography, this album is essential to all soul/funk collections - a record that helped in consolidating the reputation of one of the genre's masters.

This album is a classic,arguably one of his finest(although not my favorite).It opens with a nasty,funky tune called Get Down,with it's sound much like If There's Hell Below from his first solo album.Next is a lovely ballad,and in my opinion,one of the best cuts here,called Keep On Keepin On,which has wonderful lyrics about perseverance despite adversity and a beautiful melody throughout.Other stand outs:the hippy sounding We Got To Have Peace(which I personally love);Beautiful Brother of mine is cool: and the album closer is gorgeous).Not my personal favorite Curtis album,I'm not sure why(just me),but I highly recomend it for every Curtis fan.

THE FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD THE WHOLE ALBUM WAS 2 YEARS AGO. I CONSIDER MYSELF CURTIS MAYFIELD'S BIGGEST FAN (I PLAN TO PURCHASE HIS OTHER ALBUMS SOON). I LOVE HOW IT OPENS UP WITH THE EVER SO FUNKY "GET DOWN". EVEN IF YOU CAN'T DANCE A LICK, YOU WILL BE MOVING SOMETHING TO THIS TRACK. "BEAUTIFUL BROTHER OF MINE" ONLY REACHED #45 ON THE BILLBOARD R&B CHARTS. THIS SONG SHOULD HAVE DONE A HELLUVA LOT BETTER THAN IT DID GIVEN THE ERA IT WAS RELEASED (THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT). "WE GOTTA HAVE PEACE" IS SUCH A GEM. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE IN A UTOPIC WORLD? I CAN NOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW GREAT AN ALBUM THIS IS. PROUD TO HAVE IT BACK IN MY COLLECTION.