There's No Place Like America Today

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-11-25 rating:
There's No Album Like This Out There Today
A friend introduced me to this extraordinary album in the mid 80s, ten years after its release and, while I initially found it alarmingly downbeat, I couldn't stop playing it for months once it had gripped my soul. I could write reams about this album, but all you really need to know is that this is one of the unsung milestones of popular music that everyone should hear before they die. It's not hit-laden, quite the opposite, but there isn't a wasted second on it. These seven songs form a powerfully pure testament to music's ability to leap the barriers of language and logic and grab us by the heartstrings, and submitting to its amazing musical vision is a sad but overwhelmingly beautiful experience.

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review by: staxasoul date: 2007-12-05 rating:
Probably his last great album
Curtis Mayfield had been in the forefront of Soul music for many years, one of the first artists to promote an overtly political agenda in his music, as well as love songs, first through the Impressions and later as a solo artist. Both sides of Curtis' writing are in evidence on "No Place...". br / br /Curtis' had addressed the ambiguity of drug dealers in "Superfly" and he revisits that in "Billy Jack" and once unsympathetic and understanding, recognising that dealing represented a way out of the Ghetto, while it was also destroying those who lived there. All this happens to a mid tempo, stuttering funk groove which reflects the hard hitting message br / br /That funk Groove is also in evidence on "Hard Times, and "Love to the People", both songs which have a message of social justice, although Curtis Mayfield always promoted a theme of self reliance and self determination, which features on virtually every track here. br / br /As for the only love song, "So In Love" is one of my favourite of all Curtis' music - a slow tribute to his lady, with production typical of the man, supporting the music rather than overwhelming it. br / br /This is probably the last great Curtis Mayfield album, although he would produce great music by other artists, notably"Sparkle" by Aretha Franklin. The onrush of Disco had started, and in common with many other artists, Curtis found that the world had no time for a social conscience as a result. br / br /It is true, however, that the series of albums from "Curtis" to this one represent some of the finest Soul music ever produced and stand as a tribute to a fine, and highly under-rated artist. br / br /

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review by: date: 2007-02-10 rating:
The last "classic" from Curtis
I think most Curtis fans would agree that this release marks the end of his golden period. After the intense work of the previous year or so, and with the funk groove in general starting its meanders towards disco, we can be eternally grateful for this thing of beauty. This collection has so much soul; it's mostly cool and bluesy, but with the variety you would expect from such an accomplished artist, moves to a hard-edged climax. Incidently, the opening track is a sad, sympathetic account of the violent end of a ghetto character. God knows what Magic Rat was listening to!


review by: musicomatic date: 2005-09-01 rating:
Sublime Curtis
This is a superb album. I bought my vinyl copy when it was released mid 70's and still play it today. This music is timeless. Classic Curtis Mayfield - a must buy.

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