There's No Place Like America Today

Good album. Cultural significance after reading the backstory. Funky funky

Superfly is movin’ on up.

Billy Jack - 4/5 When Seasons Change - 3.5/5 So in Love - 4/5 Jesus - 3.5/5 Blue Monday People - 3.5/5 Hard Times - 4/5 Love to the People - 4/5 Mayfield's attempt at a "What's Going On" type of record comes through just about as good as Gaye's album. I think it loses that pivotal star due to a lot of the tracks having the same sort of sound, but it has that same essence that makes both of these very enjoyable. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Billy Jack, Love to the People

The brass in this is great. Gimme more of that. Less into the funk of it all though.

I really wanted to like this album more, and yet I really didn’t. But I did have a strange urge to buy a lava lamp while listening to it.

Smooth. Great restraint by great players

Good, not great. Cool sound but only standout was Billy Jack and In love with you

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? Yes Thoughts: - Very easy to listen to, and I don't mean that in a bad way! It looks like he has at least one other album on the list so I look forward to that. - I assume this is what Cee-Lo thought he sounded like on that awful album that I got here a while back 😅 Favorite track(s): Blue Monday People

Great nothing special.

This is what Anderson .Paak is working to emulate. The album cover speaks volumes as well, especially in today's climate.

Man can this guy sing! Great soul album.

Pretty good, very chill, enjoyable in that 70s cool way.

I liked his Superfly album way more, but this wasn't bad. Poignant lyrics and smooth music/voice. 2.5/5

Cool topical 70’s record.

I listened to it. It was fine. I will never listen to this ever again.

5/5

Jazz, soul and a whooooole lot of feeling.

Standard Curtiss fare. A good record. His falsetto gets monotonous over time. Not a 1001.

Really enjoyed

Nothing like a bit of Mayfield magic to brighten a sunny autumn morning

This is the shit right here

Soul funk groovy baby, c'est chouette, ambiance dîner chaleureux

Billy Jack 3.7 When Season's Change 3 So in Love 3.4 Jesus 3.3 Blue Monday People 3.1 Hard Times 3.3 Love to the People 3.4 Score: 3.314285714

Nice mood!

It's hard not to look at the album cover, as well as title, and realize that the United States Of America is heading in the same direction. If nothing else, the message resonates today, and generating this album one week before a big U.S. election is satisfying. Favorite Track: "Jesus".

Just soooo good! I mean, c'mon now.

Good groovy music. I particularly like "Jesus" Sometimes I feel like the vocal performance is reaching for something that they can't quite achieve.

Smooth

8/10

Oh boy. Another dull, plodding 70s soul/funk album about the civil rights movement. Have you had enough of these? I sure as fuck haven't. Play that theyangggggg. 70s soul AND funk. Very daring, Mr. Mayfield. The vocals and songwriting on this album aren't much to write home about, though I suppose the instrumentals were alright. The brass numbers are a particular highlight, though I'm also favorable to the sleek organs, rhythmic funk guitars and steady percussion. Those breathy vocals do be kinda sucking, however. Overall, with a concise runtime and solid pacing, I didn't mind listening along to this album. Book time. "Curtis Mayfield was an original, and one of the twentieth century's most talented popular musicians." During the mid-70s, Black music had become centered around hedonism amid the rise of disco. Mayfield reacted to this with "There's No Place Like America Today", described by the book as "...one of the bleakest ever artistic comments on being black in the United States." "...Mayfield unflinchingly outlines the dilemmas he sees around him, but gently and resolutely preaches hope." Popular with Black Americans at the time of release, but ignored by everyone else. Wikipedia has very little on this album. It was liked by the handful of critics that reviewed it save for Robert Christgau, who gave it a D+, and the album peaked at No. 120 on the US charts. It didn't chart anywhere else, however. I'm undecided as to whether this is Mayfield's best offering outside of Super Fly, though I don't object to him having two albums on the list. That would seem about right for an artist of his standing. I cosign this inclusion (or whatever is commonly agreed upon as Mayfield's second-best album).

This will slap in my hypothetical future listens

I enjoyed this. On first listen it's not in the same league as Superfly, but very few albums are

It was ok, I liked that it was a short album…

Decent album, this. Thought it ended strongly

I enjoyed this, especially “Hard Times” but there was a bit too much “Jesus” in there for me to really love it. 2 stars. Tom.

Nice tunes and an enjoyable vibe throughout

I always love Curtis Mayfield when he's one. He seems like a singular artist, and his music is always well done and thoughtful. Nothing here really stuck out to me but I didn't pay close enough attention, would have to come back to this one.

Had no trouble getting through this. I don't really have any history with Curtis Mayfield, but yet his falsetto soul style sounds intimately familiar. I'm going to come back to this when the time is right. "Jesus" has the fewest plays, but somehow stood out to me with it's unabashed spirituality. Go for it, Curtis. Sing.

This somehow both came and went while also dragging. It's a bummer, because I like Curtis Mayfield and regularly put on the Super Fly soundtrack. The tempo stays slow and vibe is generally mournful—the 1,001 book notes how bleak it is—aside from "Jesus," a song that felt endless to me. I liked "Billy Jack," but struggled with the rest. 2.5 stars, rounding up.

I love some soul in the morning! Glad this project got me to listen to some Curtis Mayfield. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Always love hearing what Curtis Mayfield has cooked up. The band arrangements are always so delicately put together, and if you listen carefully you'll be blown away by how intricate the instruments are. It helps that his voice is also unforgettable, transforming this sonic foundation into something truly great.

This really hit last night.. loved it

I had only heard the first three Curtis Mayfield albums and the good news is off of how good this was now i will listen to his complete discog :)

if you're making an album for sex, why put a song called jesus in the middle? why is jesus there in the room with us, while we're having sex?

8/10

Although perhaps a bit uninventive, Curtis plays some nice and relaxing soul tunes.

The soul gospel according to Curtis.

Smooth and soulful sound, but I miss the funk. Went a bit too gospel to be in my wheelhouse. 3⭐️

Good

interesting blend of soul but it also seems to have some sounds that remind me of ska/reggae music? not a huge fan of his voice but maybe it works for fans of the style. Overall kept me interested.

I should have liked this more.

A very good album. It gives a clear and honest look at Black life in America, with songs about society, everyday living, and a quiet hope in love and people. Curtis never raises his voice to make the point. He just tells it straight and lets the feeling carry the weight. The mood stays thoughtful and grounded. There is struggle in the writing, but also warmth and dignity. The songs move between social observation and personal tenderness without losing focus. Mayfield’s voice is soft and precise, and the arrangements leave him plenty of space. Nothing feels rushed or overplayed. The production is clean and understated. The grooves are steady, the instruments sit naturally around the voice, and the overall sound has a warm, mid 70s soul quality that still feels human and direct. There’s No Place Like America Today is a strong, mature record. Quietly powerful, well written, and full of real care for the lives it describes.

I really enjoyed this, even with Jesus

I liked the slow deep funk bits of the beginning and end, but this sagged in the middle. Shame, the highs were very cool

This is very pleasant, and I can't tell how much I would want to go back to this but there is something appealing about it that I can't quite place.

Incredible stuff, super groovy, couldn’t stop bobbing my head the entire time

This one earns four star rating somewhat aided by my unfamiliarity with it. As a new listener to this Mayfield record, I was pleased he did follow the Superfly path. Love that soundtrack along with other early 1970s Mayfield where he explores his version of funk. Mayfield handled the wah-wah guitar, Black political messaging and singing with his usual understated aplomb. I feared that by 1975 Mayfield would be tempted to make his sound bigger, perhaps early signs of disco. Instead There’s No Place Like America reverts back to Mayfield’s top qualities. His pleading, tender vocals can deliver a sermon without declaratory power. He lacks the questioning anguish of Al Green and Marvin Gaye. Mayfield seems comfortable in his skin, and more of a moral force than Gaye and Green who both dove into the dark end of the street with sultry ecstasy and “I’m sorry, Jesus/baby” contrition. His single note, spare guitar reminds me of the reserve that Pop Staples showed. It adds a layer of emotion to this record that came through best on “Hard Times.” Mayfield offered a stinging portrait of America mixed with hope. His work beautifully echoes the truth telling elements of the Civil Rights movement.

It's 3.5

opener is very good, rest kind of lost me. so in love also nice rest are serviceable

Interesting. Unfortunately can’t get the “this sounds like a chef from South Park” comment out of my head. 2 stars

This album surprised me, having known Curtis Mayfield for more upbeat and funky songs, this album had a real groove to it. Billy Jack has a real groovy bass to it that I enjoyed and Hard Times is a classic I’ve heard many times covered by other artists not realising it was a Curtis song.

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:✔️ 3.5

Respectable for what it is. It's no What's Goin' On (6/10, 3/5 on this scale)

background music i cant understand 😭😭

Didn't really do anything for me, didn't really feel anything beyond some ok funky bass lines occasionally.

I enjoyed this R&B or soul album. A nice calming listen.

Прикольно

A couple of nice tracks on here (So In Love the highlight) but it does get a bit wearing across the full album. The falsetto is a bit annoying (“JESUS!”) and the album runs of steam entirely by the final third.

muy bue

Jazzy and fun beats

What was that.

I enjoyed it,

6.5/10

Very good album, but not as good as Superfly. I love the grooves, and he is a great singer. I think the middle of the album dragged a little bit, but overall, still a very good album. High 4.

душа есть оценка: 4/5

Knew nothing about this, have listened to it about 5 times now. Really really good.

I like and music is very fun but definitely not an every day album for me. Repetitive. But a good listen fs just can’t picture it in a playlist it’s an album to listen to in full

I am So In Love with this album.

Well I wouldn't go so far as to call the album boring, but it seems like all of the songs build to some kind of climax then never get there. Maybe the climax is meant to come from the making of sweet sexy lovin', which is pretty obviously the intended listening experience for this album.

génial très chill comme j'aime

Good

This was fun and sexy!

Stone solid groove with plenty of room to lay down what is wrong with America, today?

Great album art

Great album. Easy listen. Smooth.

Curtis Mayfield, US-Amerikaner aus Chicago, nahm sein siebtes Soloalbum 1975 in den Curtom Studios seiner Heimatstadt auf. Erschienen ist es auf Curtom Records, dem Label, das er mitgegründet hatte. Produziert hat er selbst, die Arrangements stammen von Rich Tufo. Kommerziell blieb das Ganze bescheiden: Platz 120 der Billboard 200, immerhin Platz 13 bei den Soul-LPs. Musikalisch bewegt sich die Platte zwischen Soul und Funk. Der Titel ist Sarkasmus, und die Platte hält das durch. „Billy Jack" macht den Anfang, „Blue Monday People" und „Hard Times" bleiben beim grauen Alltag, „When Seasons Change" kommt mit Gospel-Einschlag, „Love to the People" mit mehr Tempo. „So in Love" war der Soul-Hit, Platz 9 der R&B-Charts. Ich höre darin weniger Trost als einen Moment zum Luftholen. Was mich an dem Album hängen lässt: Mayfield schreit nicht. Das Falsett bleibt weich, die Band groovt gelassen, und gerade deshalb ist die Wut dahinter schärfer. Neben dem Superfly-Ruhm ging die Platte unter, das zeigt schon der Chartplatz. Bequem ist sie nicht, das verstehe ich. Aber sie ist ehrlicher als vieles aus diesen Jahren. Die Charts haben sich damals geirrt.

Asombro, la voz, el ritmo absolutamente todo

Feels like this album had a lot to say, unfortunately words don't make for a musically exciting listen by itself. It's groovy, has its vibe, but other than being the backdrop for a dialogue scene in a movie, I have no reason to replay. Respect for what it is.

that was amazing, maybe soul is the way

I love Curtis but I hadn’t heard this record too much before this listen but it gave me what I love. Funk, subtle but brilliant guitar, social consciousness, and beautiful soaring vocals.

Funky soulful music. Nothing wrong with it, but maybe not an album that you should have listened to

great! enjoyed, a good soulful album. fun

Very good old school RnB / soul, very reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's "What's going on". However, with that kind of music, it's really important that you like the voice, and Mayfield's high-pitch can be grating at times. The music is also a bit too slow for my liking. And while the texts are good, I didn't need to listen to a whole song praising Jesus. Only the likes of Aretha Franklin would make me like a song about Jesus. But then you got "Blue Monday People" and "Hard Times", and the truthfulness hits you. It's earnest, humble, and you can hear the hurt, but also the hope. It's what soul does best. And "Love to the People" is just a fantastic song in every way.

Aangename muziek, fijn om op de achtergrond te luisteren, maar minder mijn genre

Soo groovy Loved it

Thought it was a triple blind, but I actually did recognize one of the songs! The track which makes “jesus” something of a sexy figure was certainly a choice… Otherwise though, I quite liked it. The upbeat funk coupled with smooth vocals made for a high quality listen

This album slapped. Just some real good funky, instrumentally strong jams

Curtis Mayfield is so smooth on this record. The grooves, basslines & vocals would all melt in your mouth. What the album is lacking is a standout moment or any tracks that rise above the rest. As pleasant of a listen this is, I'm not sure there's much I'll remember in a week's time. What it has in soul, it lacks in wow factor.

3.43

Not my thing.