Roots
Studio album by
Curtis Mayfield
ReleasedOctober 1971
RecordedRCA Studios, Chicago, Illinois
GenreProgressive soul[1]
Length39:15
LabelCurtom
ProducerCurtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield chronology
Curtis/Live!
(1971) 		Roots
(1971) 		Superfly
(1972)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide''[6]
Rolling Stone (1971)(unfavorable)[4]
Rolling Stone (1999)(favorable)[5]
Tom Hull – on the WebA−[7]

Roots is Curtis Mayfield’s second studio album, released in October 1971. Having received critical praise from a variety of publications, the album is regarded as not just one of Mayfield's best works but also as a classic release of the '70s soul era, with Allmusic critic Bruce Eder stating that "the album soars on some of the sweetest and most eloquent... soul sounds heard up to that time". The album became a commercial success as well, hitting the #6 slot on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.[2]

Track listing

Original release

All songs written and composed by Curtis Mayfield, except as noted.

  1. "Get Down" – 5:45
  2. "Keep On Keeping On" – 5:08
  3. "Underground" – 5:15
  4. "We Got to Have Peace" – 4:44
  5. "Beautiful Brother of Mine" – 7:23
  6. "Now You're Gone" (Mayfield, Joseph Scott) – 6:50
  7. "Love to Keep You in My Mind" – 3:48

Bonus tracks

In 1999, Rhino Records re-released the album with four bonus tracks including a demo version of "Underground" and single edits for "Get Down', "We Got to Have Peace" and "Beautiful Brother of Mine".

  1. "Underground" [demo version] – 3:17
  2. "Get Down" [Single edit] – 3:55
  3. "We Got to Have Peace" [Single edit] – 3:39
  4. "Beautiful Brother of Mine" [Single edit] – 3:09

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (1971) Peak
position
Billboard Top LPs 40
Billboard Top Soul LPs 6

References

  1. ^ Donovan, Charles (March 6, 2019). "Chapter One of Curtis Mayfield's Solo Career Gets a Much-Needed Makeover". PopMatters. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. Roots at AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ "Roots". Rolling Stone. 1972-02-17. Archived from the original on 2017-01-03.
  5. ^ "Roots". Rolling Stone. 1999-01-25.
  6. ^ Hoard, Christian (November 24, 2004). "Review: Roots". Rolling Stone: 523–524.
  7. ^ Hull, Tom (June 22, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 24, 2021.



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