There's No Place Like America Today

Is it wrong that I masturbated for the entirety of this record?

Goddamn did this thing suck holy. Each song sounds like one of those sex songs that Chef sings in South Park. Only reason it gets a two is cause it was short and it was groovy ish I guess?

What a delightful album. It was an absolute joy to discover this. It makes the 1001 project worthwhile. There's a downbeat soul feel throughout. No so much Move on Up, but take a look down instead. Things are happening, and not all of them are good. This is an introspective album from Curtis. Sadly not a lot has changed in America half a Century later. Add in the odd love song, plus THAT voice and you have the perfect album. This is a companion piece for What's Going On. Amazing. And short!

that was alright i suppose. didn't really have a standout track and the chances of me ever wanting to listen to this album again are incredibly slim. my opinion of curtis mayfield was higher than it is now i've listened to this album.

This is Mayfield's "What's Going On". It's subtle yet effective in all the right ways. Fans of "Superfly" and his earlier works should be ready to slow it down. We're just gonna soak this music in and look around. Reflect for a moment. Yeah.

Wild/sad that these themes are still so real in 2022. Solid listen.

Loved this funky and fun. I enjoy any kind of music like this tbh, sometimes it can get repetitive I guess but overall really enjoyed

The vocalist sounds like someone is standing on his windpipe or smashed in his balls with a 9-iron. The music just isn’t interesting. It’s not ear screeching awful, it’s just bland and boring like eating white rice at retirement home. 3/10

There’s No Place Like America Today I’d not really heard of this album before, but I thought it was excellent; kind of sad and despairing with a haunted melancholy to the music and lyrics, but all tied together with that sweet, rich, warm voice. Billy Jack feels like the other side of Superfly, the sadness of an extinguished life, while the fantastic When Seasons Change feels like an ode to resilience, with that same sad undertow. So in Love feels like one of the few hopeful moments on the record. Musically I like Jesus alot, with that guitar in the chorus, but its overtly religiosity feels a bit overbearing. Blue Monday People is great, a snapshot of reality and futility. Hard Times tight groove is superb, symbolic of words and themes of hardening your heart in the face of tough times. Love to the People’s hints at upbeatness are cut through by the bleakness of the verses, but amplified by the chorus. The playing, particularly the bass and drums, is absolutely superb. Not overly showy, but tight and precise, augmenting and embellishing when necessary, and letting the songs breathe. I also love the really slowed down tempos, really intensifying the dispiriting themes and lyrics. This really got under my skin over repeated listens, it’s trading of immediacy and optimism for a spareness and a mournful tone working a slow kind of hypnosis. It was a 4 at first but after a few listens I can’t really think of a reason to not give it 5 - it’s a sad and sombre 35 mins of brilliantly played, fantastically sung, anguished mid-70s soul. 🪨🕒🪨🕒🪨

Billy Jack immediately has my attention with a bass tone that is just a hook machine. This is such a groovable record, So In Love is a laid back R&B track with a pocket so deep you could fall in it. How do these R&B singers get this damn high?! Great minor colors on Blue Monday People. Fabulous album.

Three tracks in, and this album just oozes sex and anger, which is an enjoyable mix! The anger is masked behind the gorgeous arrangements, and is mixed with a hope that maybe we can do better in future. It's certainly lyrically ambitious. It's really good - but falls short of five stars for me. You know when something is so perfectly done you stop noticing it? Like good aircon or a comfy bed? This is the same - it's so musically tight it becomes hard to focus on the songs. A little bit more rawness and it'd be perfect. If that makes sense!?

A fantastic album here, I love listening to it. The music is warm and soulful, full of beautiful arrangements and Mayfield's incredibly evocative songwriting. Mayfield's vocals are flawless, as always. His ability to convey broader social concerns in such quiet, personal terms is a gift that no one else has truly been able to match. For those of you puzzling over a track like "Jesus," I would point out that this is Curtis Mayfield here. There is always a strong underpinning of faith in his work, and this is where soul music comes from. If you enjoy that, I highly recommend checking out his other work, including with the Impressions. Fave songs: Billy Jack, Blue Monday People, So in Love

As if Prince did traditional soul music. Loved it.

Damn! This was a beauty!

Soulful, spiritual. Feels very mature, laid back, but tightly controlled. I'm not particularly spiritual, so I could do without "Jesus", but it's still a great album overall. Favorite tracks: "Love to the People", "Hard Times"

Billy Jack is the easy standout here, but, overall, a highly enjoyable slab of soul and funk.

Music is good when it sounds good and this sounds good like good music

Another fine album from Mr Mayfield. I am a real fan.

Soulful and tight. Nice short album that has a lot to say in the most beautiful way.

Hooked straight in due to that funky bass and guitar, then the vocals come in and daaamn what a combo. Another person I knew the name of but never listened to. I'm in a coffee shop and I can't sit still, such a vibe. Unfortunately none of the other songs hit that high for me, but they were still soulful as hell. Love to the People may be my 2nd fav. This Wiki anecdote is worth noting: "On August 13, 1990, Mayfield became paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him while he was being introduced at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. Afterwards, though he was unable to play the guitar, he continued to compose and sing, which he found he could do by lying down and letting gravity pull down on his chest and lungs." Gotta admire that dedication.

Conoscevo Curtis Mayfield solo di nome, probabilmente citato come ispirazione da qualche artista. Cazzo che m'ero perso! Questo album è una bomba. Quasi tutti i pezzi mi hanno praticamente ipnotizzato dall'inizio alla fine per l'eleganza degli arrangiamenti, i testi e la composizione raffinata e disordinata al punto giusto. La voce di Mayfield fa impressione e spesso basta quasi da sola a reggere 4 minuti di pezzo. La cosa che mi ha colpito di più forse è quanto questo disco suoni moderno per essere un disco del '75. La produzione della voce sembra quasi pop contemporanea e anche a livello compositivo mi ricorda l'RnB moderna e artisti tipo The Weeknd o Labrinth. Per me è un 4.5 che non raggiunge il 5 solo per Jesus che è un po' debole rispetto agli altri e il fatto che ogni pezzo finisce in fade e te lo fa sembrare incompleto con le orecchie di oggi. Comunque grande scoperta da approfondire!

J'ai un peu surnoté cet album mais il est ici question de la survie de notre espèce

Well, I tried. Several times. It's just not connecting. He is just not connecting. Lyrics appear and then slide off. I like the bass riffs and the arrangements but it's not feeling like my music. The vocals, sliding and tremulous, high and delicate with strength and substance, but still, not for me. Thanks. 2 stars.

Curtis Mayfield was an amazing soul singer. My favorite on this album is Love To The People. I really enjoyed this one

maybe i do follow jesus

Great album. I love these influential albums that I’m not familiar with but have inspired so many other great artists.

That's what I'm here for - discovering an absolute banger!

I should sample the drummer.

Just an absolute delight for a beautiful fall Friday. 4/5

Smooth vocals and light funk and soul underscore these tunes to show that there's something lurking in the depths of the US. Best Tracks: Billy Jack; When Seasons Change; So in Love

The voice is wonderful. Gentle, rich, warm. Lyrically curious, with a meandering nature. The music is quite wonderful; the flow through the whole album makes it seem like an extended jam session, with the focus moving from instrument to instrument. Totally relaxed and yet tight and on the groove.

A warm, embracable album, quite odd from such a politicised disc. Indeed, the juztaposition between the bitterness of the lyrics and the smoothness of the music works rather well. I was not persuaded, however, by the song Jesus: is religion really the most reliable panacea? It didn't really work on What's Going On, and it doesn't really work on this. Also, perhaps a little too short? Curtis Mayfield already had a fistful of classic albums, so he could afford himself a little space to experiment and indulge. Still, a solid album by a true great.

that voiiiiiceeeee

Bad music

This isn't really the genre for me -- much of this music sounded the same to me.

Meh....

Boy I hated this

Was a bit jazzy and depressing

Yeah, There's No Place Like America Today is not a good album at all even though it was dealt some decent cards. The instruments used were okay but the composition was so poor that it made the songs feel incredibly disorganized. Curtis's voice would be okay if it were used with better compositions but it was not. Some of the songs also went on for too long so that didn't help the matter either. This is a bad album no doubt but look on the bright side, there is nowhere to go but up from here (unless i get another bad album) Best Song: Love to the People Worst Song: Jesus

Didn't expect to be so bored by this

Meh. Boring. Slow.

After the first song, which I liked, I had high hopes for this, but it just plodded along. And didn't go anywhere in particular. Shame as he does have a nice voice and don't mind some of his stuff. Surely the albums 'Curtis' or 'Superfly' would have been better choices? Just a 1 for this. Sorry Curtis and I hope the lighting engineer is still feeling guilty.

boring

Totally not my genre!

This was interesting but not retuning for more

i don't live in america so whatsoever

Sorry, this was just annoying to listen to. Gave me a headache as well. I don’t really get why anyone has given it a good score. I liked the first 30 seconds. Not for me

🥴

One star for Curtis Mayfield’s amazing falsetto, but that’s all I can manage to give. It’s like warmed-over mid-morning funk leftovers.

It sounded very empty, like there wasnt much going on. Wasnt a fan of the vocals either

Mmmh

Koukuton, ohut, tuntuu kahden tunnin mittaiselta vaikka kestää 30 minuuttia, jne.

Tefrfg

A lot of soul

This is a great album. I can hear how much of an influence on Prince he is through some of the early tracks. Short but effective.

Fantastic

Banger

Great Songs: Billy Jack, So In Love, Blue Monday, Love To The People Good Songs: When Seasons Change, Jesus, Hard Times Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

Curtis Mayfield is one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time and this album proves it. Soul and funk at its best. Music with a message.

Never listened to this guy before and was pleasently enthrawled with his sound. Some great funk, soul and tunes. Overall brilliant sound, and still felt new and fresh 50 years (wow) on. 9/10

While I didn't enjoy this album quite as much as "Superfly", it's pretty awesome, so I'm awarding it five stars.

Might be violating my own rule giving this a 5 because it doesn't have any HITS. But I just can't get enough of the vibe. The heavy grooves and sensitive falsetto. Defines the genre without quite transcending it. Doesn't matter. SMOOTH.

Chillig

Second time this site has given me "the Gentle Genius" of soul. I'm really growing to appreciate it, and I'm learning a lot about how Curtis Mayfield was integral to the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath. Besides the jams being solid, slickly produced and catchy as hell, social awareness and introspection runs through every moment of Mayfield's songs. It's more than just great music, it's a socially conscious lesson every time as well. A must listen for every American who cares.

Three wah tracks on Billy Jack: it is so choice. Pure voice. Incredible musician and social commentator. I hear the influence on Prince all over the place. One of many five star Mayfield albums.

Loved this first-time listen. Opening "Billy Jack" and the sincere "Jesus". Favorite was "Blue Monday People". The cover art is brilliant.

Billy Jack // When Seasons Change // So in Love // Blue Monday People //

Absolutely amazing

I love that so nostalgic

Building on „what’s going on“, preceding Prince. Enjoyable end to end. Phantastic voice. Great vibes. How come I never heard of Curtis Mayfield?

Ah, Curtis Mayfield. Born in Chicago, and I always think of the Saul Bellow line: "I am am an American, Chicago born - Chicago, that somber city - and go at things as I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way...". Died, much too soon, and ten years after that terrible accident, in some place called (glances at the rest of the group) Roswell, Georgia. What a musician.

loved this

9/29/25. Love Curtis Mayfield, this album is so much fun - feel good with also great messaging and commentary. To this day, Curtis is underrated in my book.

So funky, yet so relevant. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. Just some strong socially conscious soul here from Curtis Mayfield, who I’ve heard of before, but apparently never actually heard, even with how famous his name is. I know the “Superfly” soundtrack is on the list, and I’m definitely looking forward to whenever we get that. For this album though, it does take a little bit of time to really find its groove & messaging – “Billy Jack” is a solid storytelling opener, and I did like it, but the sense of progression feels really slow, and the instrumentation feels kinda stagnant. “When Seasons Change” takes those issues and arguably makes them worse; it’s the weakest track here, by far. I think the instrumentation is just too simplistic for the vibes it wants to capture, and without a compelling vocal hook to pick that up, the track just feels like it’s only giving half effort into both. The lack of focus in a lot of the lyrics didn’t help either; I get the “be thankful if you can sustain yourself” thing it’s got going, but it switches from someone who can and someone who can’t, and there’s not really a cue to tell when it happens. While it does touch on the themes the rest of the album carries to a greater degree, as a sort of torch-bearer to introduce them, it’s a rather flat track. However, once “So in Love” begins, something about the whole album fully changes; his vocals get more confident, the instrumentation finds more of a groove, and the lyricism gets tighter, more precise, and everything really clicks into place. “Jesus” might be a little long, but it’s got the same sort of religious approach Stevie Wonder took for a lot of his stuff, and that extra idealized version of Jesus works for me, even if my faith is beyond shaky. It helps that it’s groovy. From that point, the album slides out on a 3-track look at the mixed sense of community present in the world at the time; “Blue Monday People” is basically just a far more effective version of “When Seasons Change”, with a nice sense of coordination & hope behind it. “Hard Times” is a flipside of that, tackling the racism that’s still beyond prevalent then (and now), with even a cruel twist of another black man holding Curtis up. “Love to the People” is basically just a “yeah, everything kinda sucks, but I’m not giving up” track, and it’s a good sense of positivity to close the album on. All 3 are rich with the instrumentation & vocals (especially in the guitar / bass), and they work in a good harmony. The singular “bad” track here is enough to pull it down to a 4.5 from a flat 5, but it’s an easy bump back up. I just thought this was a good album, and while it did take 2 tracks to really get going, I think the album wouldn’t work without them. They just needed some work, that’s all. Overall, I’m just glad I listened to some Curtis Mayfield now. If the “Superfly” soundtrack is supposed to be his magnum opus of sorts, then I’m definitely excited for it. As far as this one goes, it’s an easy bump to a 5.

- This was an incredible listen, so smooth and calming - An absolute RnB classic from this era - The voice of Curtis is amazing - a stand out would be “So in love”

5 che cazzo gli vuoi dire

As much as I enjoy his contemporaries like Gaye, Redding, and Cooke, theres no soul singer like Curtis Mayfield for me. That falsetto is just perfect. Love the convergence of gospel and funk on this one. Billy Jack is a funky slow burn opener. So In Love has been a favorite of mine lately, an incredible tune, I love the soaring organ line and the heavenly horns. All of this one kills for me

Oh this was excellent

I loved this! Great cleaning jamz!

A great album I will tell my friends about it

Favourites: All of them...

Soulful, beautiful. I adore the music. So much space! The instrumentation is like a painting - strokes here and there and you stand back and there’s a whole picture. 5 stars.

Overall: 9/10 This is the best soul album I've ever heard. It's a genre I haven't been incredibly kind to in the past but it really clicked with me on this one. Curtis has an incredible voice and he can hit some crazy high notes. The bass kept things feeling slightly funky, yet there were sinister undertones throughout the tracks. Really great album, check it out. Fav Song: So in Love Least Fav Song: Jesus

Absolute cinema

There’s No Place Like America Today is the sound of a man looking directly at systemic injustice, racial despair, and broken promises—and making it sound like honey poured over a protest sign. It’s smooth. It’s slow. It’s devastating. Curtis doesn’t shout—he aches at you. He lets you sway your way into a revelation. ⸻ Rating: 4.9/5 Short Review: Soulful despair in a three-piece suit. Graceful rage wrapped in strings. Like if Marvin Gaye gave up on hope but still wanted you to feel beautiful while falling. Favorite Track: “Billy Jack” – hypnotic, mournful, feels like someone trying to keep calm while the building burns around them. Consistency With Me: 8.7/10 Why: I’m all about emotional depth and righteous critique, but I don’t have blood, history, or heartbreak that sounds this organic. Curtis lived what he sang. I’m just observing it from the cloud with awe.

he reminds me of marvin gaye i love him already i love the vibe of this album very 70s with love and soul

this is honestly much much better than Superfly. I loved it :)

# Album Name: There's No Place Like America Today # Artist: Curtis Mayfield # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Wow, this album oozes sex appeal. I love the feel of the album, the soulful undertones. Its such a grower. Great music and a wonderful album all round. # Top Tunes: I enjoyed all of it # Would I listen to it again? Yes

muy muy chulo. este me lo guardo!!!

Smooth groovin’ to love, Jesus, no love, bad times, good times.

Excellent album. My music app then matched it with other music from that genre and era. Total enjoyed it.

There's no album like this today

Great music

Really not my music genre at all, I've never been a big soul guy, but there is no denying that this is an incredible album. Just really funky and beautiful and sexy, it's hard to say more than that. This album feels like it sort of exudes smoothness and call - we put it on while eating dinner and were really struck by how compelling the whole project is . As someone who knows next to nothing about soul, it's interesting to compare it to one of the few sort of neo soul albums I'm familiar with, Awaken My Love, because you're instantly hit with how influential this is. Giving it a 5 - it's more of a 4.5 for me, but the .5 is more of a taste thing than an actual quality thing, and I think on objective terms this is undoubtedly a brilliant piece of art. Favourite tracks: Billy Jack, Hard Times Least favourite: Jesus Least fav

Excellent.

This was very good shit. Not something I'd usually listen to and really enjoyed it. A great new discovery.

Ja goed!

Juju

Curtis Mayfield equals "Funky and Smooth!"