Curtis Mayfield Roots LP (Orange Vinyl)

Curtis Mayfield was an American soul, rhythm and blues and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically conscious African-American Music. He was also a multi-instrumentalist who played the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums.

Released in 1971, Roots is in many ways Mayfield's masterpiece. It reached #6 on the Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart and is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of soul music and funk of the 1970s.

Roots is Curtis Mayfield's visionary album, a landmark creation every bit as compelling and far-reaching in its musical and extra-musical goals as Marvin Gaye's contemporary What's Goin' On. Opening on the hit 'Get Down,' the album soars on some of the sweetest and most eloquent - yet driving - soul sounds heard up to that time.

Throughout Roots, as throughout his entire career, Mayfield sings in that signature voice of his: a sensuous tenor croon that glides effortlessly into a swoon-inducing falsetto. It's a complex sound simultaneously imbued with calm and urgency, one well suited to a singer-songwriter committed to the subtlety of every situation and emotion. On Roots, Mayfield was beginning to appreciate the full reach of his talents.