Thu Jul 29 2021
4
Is it wrong that I masturbated for the entirety of this record?
This is a Random Album Generator.
One album a day.
From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
1975
- Album Summary
There's No Place Like America Today is the seventh studio album by Curtis Mayfield, released in 1975 on Curtom Records. It peaked at number 120 on the Billboard 200 chart, as well as number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!
Sort by:
Top
Date
Thu Jul 29 2021
3
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.
Tue Jun 29 2021
4
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
Mon Jul 11 2022
5
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!
Thu Sep 02 2021
4
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.
Thu Jul 28 2022
5
Wild/sad that these themes are still so real in 2022. Solid listen.
Sun Jun 27 2021
4
J'ai un peu surnoté cet album mais il est ici question de la survie de notre espèce
Wed Jul 28 2021
4
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
Tue Aug 31 2021
4
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!
Tue Jun 29 2021
5
Another fine album from Mr Mayfield. I am a real fan.
Mon Jul 26 2021
5
Damn! This was a beauty!
Thu Jul 29 2021
5
Music is good when it sounds good and this sounds good like good music
Thu Aug 18 2022
5
As if Prince did traditional soul music. Loved it.
Tue Sep 13 2022
5
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.
Sun Oct 17 2021
4
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.
Fri Nov 12 2021
4
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.
Wed Dec 01 2021
4
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!?
Tue Feb 15 2022
4
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
Wed Mar 09 2022
4
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"
Sat Apr 09 2022
4
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.
Mon Jul 05 2021
3
that voiiiiiceeeee
Tue Jun 06 2023
3
Billy Jack is the easy standout here, but, overall, a highly enjoyable slab of soul and funk.
Sun Sep 11 2022
2
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?
Tue Jul 27 2021
5
Jams
Thu Jul 29 2021
5
Una voz excelente acompañados de unos vientos muy bien armados.
Thu Aug 26 2021
5
Simply legendary.
Tue Sep 14 2021
5
The first R&B album I've listened. Cover is full of contrast, based on a 1937 monochrome photograph by Margaret Bourke-White, titled "At the Time of the Louisville Flood".
Mon Oct 11 2021
5
Really enjoyed this, will pickup the vinyl
Sat Nov 13 2021
5
Amazing album. Great mix of music, lyrics, commentary, and Mayfield's classic vocals.
Tue Dec 14 2021
5
I should sample the drummer.
Sun Jan 02 2022
5
Stiam doar Move on up de la Curtis. Un album soul foarte placut și scurtuț la doar 35 de minute. Multe elemente psihedelice si de gospel. Linii de bass foarte funky iar vocea subtire si inalta de neconfundat a lui Curtis. O săritură in timp in anii 70 soul ai Americii
Sun Jan 09 2022
5
That's a concrete 5
Mon Feb 07 2022
5
Probablement le meilleur album funk/R&B que j'ai écouté à date. Pas un moment faible.
Wed Mar 30 2022
5
I'll get one thing clear. I think Curtis Mayfield is one of the most talented, influential and all-round spectacular artists to have spent time on this blue spinning orb. This album is soulful and magnificent. Apart from Jesus. Despite Jesus, this is still a Curtis Mayfield album and it has to get five stars. If you've given it fewer, you need to give your head a shake.
Fri Apr 08 2022
5
5 freaking stars!
Thu May 19 2022
5
Bonitas raíces del soul
Mon May 23 2022
5
Absolutely loved this. Curtis Mayfield was a big listen at Uni, but this was all new to me.
Mon May 30 2022
5
Absolutely loved it - great new discovery!
Wed Jun 15 2022
5
Feels like a mid-70s What's Going On. Spending more time here.
Mon Jul 11 2022
5
Amazing album, and new to me. Love Curtis’ voice throughout, and the backing carried it all along nicely. Not as uptempo as some of his other work, but no less engaging for that.
Sun Jul 17 2022
5
Soul, funk, blues
Mon Jul 25 2022
5
Fantastic.
Sat Jul 30 2022
5
It's Curtis Mayfield.
Thu Aug 04 2022
5
Adorei, o álbum é uma delícia de se ouvir. Fiquei com vontade de ouvir mais... Melhores músicas: Billy Jack, When seasons change e Blue Monday People
Sun Aug 07 2022
5
awesome
Mon Aug 22 2022
5
Amazing.
Sun Aug 28 2022
5
Great albulm with a good message and unique sound. So I’m love was my facvorite
Mon Aug 29 2022
5
Very good
Tue Aug 30 2022
5
Would be good for a Sunday chill day. Project work
Tue Sep 06 2022
5
Funky. Soulful. Really easy to groove to.
Wed Sep 07 2022
5
Definitely made me want to fuck someone. Even the song about Jesus, which also really hammered the notion of drinking wine tonight into my head. "Gateway to hell" album. 5/5 stars.
Tue Sep 27 2022
5
I love this album! It’s like a musics sushi roll of funk! That smooth sultry voice is the best spicy tuna you’re gonna find and the bass is the unagi of phat beats. Topping it off with the horns coming at you like little masago balls of joy. 12 stars!
Sun Oct 02 2022
5
Rating: 9.1 Best Track: So in Love
Fri Oct 14 2022
5
The grooviest social commentary
Tue Oct 18 2022
5
Loved it. Minimalist and clean and not a note or beat out of place. Perfect horns.
Fri Oct 21 2022
5
*Track 1) Billy Jack Track 2) When Seasons Change Track 3) So in Love Track 4) Jesus Track 5) Blue Monday People Track 6) Hard Times Track 7) Love to the People *Indicates Favorite Track
Mon Nov 14 2022
5
Greaat album. "Jesus" and 'so in love with you". intro sounded like he wanted to get people into the LP. What does LP even stand for lol
Mon Nov 21 2022
5
So damn funky.
Mon Nov 28 2022
5
Sublime funk soul jams
Thu Dec 29 2022
5
Down tempo album that juxtaposes death, love, spirituality and hardship as a depiction of black urban American culture. No stinkers, and 2 absolute greatest cuts of all time with So In Love and his great version of Hard Times.
Thu Dec 29 2022
5
This is a fantastic album, the only downside is it being as short as it is. Absolutely love this album. The opening track, “Billy Jack”, is a slow burn intro to the album that sets the mood and that doesn’t let up even going to more thoughtful and sweet “So In Love” and certainly is bolstered by “Blue Monday People”, and the silver lining of “Love to the People” is where the mood seems to lighten somewhat.
Sun Jan 01 2023
5
pela primeira já foi 5, baita groovezao
Thu Jan 12 2023
5
I didn't realize that bad ass soul music like this was still getting made this far into the 70s. Curtis Mayfield is a fucking national treasure.
Mon Jan 16 2023
5
i LOVED this album. such nice instrumentals and killer consistency throughout. definitely going to become a staple in my normal listening
Sat Jan 21 2023
5
Curtiiiiis
Mon Jan 23 2023
5
I've listened to this album a lot of times before. But stuck on the record again today.
Wed Jan 25 2023
5
good vibes, interesting horns and stuff w old timey vibe but different
Thu Jan 26 2023
5
This is why this book (and this project) exists. What a standout record that I'm really glad to have discovered. Curtis Mayfield brings the funk in a way that's just as fresh in 2023 as it probably was at the time of release - while being thought-provoking and interestingly, still relevant to today. Musically, it reminds me of Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love!, which is a sound that I'd always wish we had more of. Super glad I found what I'd been looking for. Standout tracks are Billy Jack, So In Love, and Jesus.
Tue Feb 14 2023
5
I'm so partial to this sound. Is it because I was predominantly a bass player? Maybe. Well, Probably. The groove, the soul, the smooth falsetto vocals... This is very akin to the New Orleans funk music that is in my bones. I could listen to Curtis Mayfield every day for a long time without an issue. I'm so in love with this sound.
Tue Feb 14 2023
5
Brilliant. Sort of heavy but also really beautiful. Loved every song and listened to in repeat the whole day. I just wish it had been longer!
Wed Mar 01 2023
5
Fantastic. Funky, instrospective, sensitive, soulful. Beautiful songwriting and authenticity.
Sat Mar 04 2023
5
Chicago soul, socially conscious, civil rights, blacksploitation
Mon Mar 06 2023
5
Smooth, dreamy, beautiful
Thu Mar 16 2023
5
Jackson Pollock: Awesome start. Yeah Billy Jack rules, reminds me of a few modern day rnb fussions (anderson paak). I like this. Jesus sounds good but lyrical content can kinda fuck off, very repetitive. Blue Monday People. Okay this is surely a 5. Favs: Billy Jack No: Jesus Overall: Very unique vocals and cool instrumentation, its a low 5 but a 5.
Wed Mar 22 2023
5
Great album. Blistering take on racism
Tue Mar 28 2023
5
Great album, quite short too so bonus points lol. Jokes aside, the funkiness of this record is perfect. I definitely like the livelier songs on this album but still overall definitely deserves a 5 Saved tracks: Billy Jack, Blue Monday People, Love to the People, Hard Times
Tue Apr 04 2023
5
Great album
Fri Apr 07 2023
5
👍
Sun Apr 16 2023
5
Bloody hell. Ok. So this is why I started this. Artists I've heard of and obviously know a couple of hits, but never really explored. My generation loved Prince, but this feels like his origins story. Singing style was obviously very influential. Song structure is very unique but will also be very familiar to Prince fans, soulful doesn't seem to do it justice. Beautifully elegant, smooth and engaging.
Tue Apr 18 2023
5
this is my second curtis mayfield album on this list. the first, superfly, was a notable soundtrack. while i enjoyed superfly, his there's no place like america today was more elevated. there's a considerable amount of funk on this album, and damn mayfield makes it so easy to listen to. funk is the most dominant, but mayfield incorporates jazz and soul, too. mayfield alternated between romantic songs, including religious undertones (and overtones, considering there's a song straight up called "jesus"), yet he begins and ends his album speaking of society in the mid-seventies. as a result the album comes across as grounded. but what's most important is that in the final song, mayfield makes a point to say, "i'm not givin' up, this little pride." the light-hearted songs don't distract from the message, which is hammered home by the album cover. as a prince fan, i can say some of these songs sounded like they could be from prince--in lyrics, in vocal range, musically. i almost always say that prince did or could it better, but i cannot in good conscious say that here. 4.5, rounding up.
Thu May 11 2023
5
Awesome record curtis was incredible
Fri Jun 09 2023
5
I could listen to this album end to end multiple times in a row. 9/10
Thu Jul 13 2023
5
Groovy and funky and topical... was short enough I listened to it 4 times in a row and by then I was totally on board!
Mon Jul 24 2023
5
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lets get funky :)
Wed Sep 06 2023
5
So fucking smooth
Thu Sep 07 2023
5
Ik kende het album al, maar nu echt goed naar geluisterd. Heeeeel goed 10/10 would listen again
Tue Jun 22 2021
4
Really great! Would love on vinyl!
Tue Jun 29 2021
4
Nothing like an afternoon grooving to the smooth sounds of Curtis Mayfield.
Mon Jul 19 2021
4
Loved it
Sat Jul 10 2021
4
interesting title, this is going to be political isn't it lol. nice intro. really nice voice. oh second song's awesome too, this is going to be a 5 easily. 'if you want a good life, best look into yourself'. interesting lyrics, pretty straightforward messages but you could probably tune them out if you're not really paying attention, he sounds so calm all throughout. it's a good balance then i guess. also i love the song lengths, they feel fully realized, hate when songs that sound good end too soon or go on for too long and become diluted, here they're perfect. it was a very satisfying listen all in all. i guess the album could feel a little bit samey but it's just over half an hour long and the variety in song themes makes up for it. first three songs were my favorites but they're all pretty good. it ended it up not being quite a 5 cause 'jesus' did nothing for me but really good otherwise.
Tue Jun 29 2021
4
Very cool. Soulful/funky with great instrumentals and unique falsetto vocals.
Tue Jul 13 2021
4
Couple of songs on here that didn't really land on me the first time, like Hard Times, but as the album was only 35 mins I went back and relistened to them. I can't really fault any track, great album. And one of the best album covers I've seen.
Tue Jul 13 2021
4
now that is a opener to an album not what I expected at all "Don't get me wrong, the man is gone But it's a wonder, he lived this long" "Ah! didn't care nothing about being black" the instruments here are outrageous wow this album is throwing me not what I was expecting really enjoying it JESUS! ... JESUS! ... JESUS! "Doin’ crime wastin’ time! Drinkin’ that wine Drinkin’ and drinkin’ and drinkin’ and drinkin’" "Although he be my brother he wants to hold me up" "News is bad on every TV show So I tune in my radio, talkin' 'bout"
Sat Jun 26 2021
4
some good chill vibes for this one
Thu Aug 05 2021
4
4/5 - Great but not memorable in my opinion; not my style perhaps?
Fri Aug 06 2021
4
Really soulful album. So in Love is the best song on the album. 7/10.
Mon Aug 16 2021
4
nice sound
Sat Aug 21 2021
4
Wow! A dang good mellow album!
Tue Aug 31 2021
4
I like this music but I dont know, the album as a whole was kind of boring. I really liked Billy Jack.
Sun Sep 05 2021
4
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Billy jack, So in love, Love to the people