Curtis Mayfield had just kicked off his dominance over soul and funk as a solo artist the year prior - in 1970, he released his self-titled Curtis album that immediately showed Mayfield to be a supreme-o songwriter, singer, and guitar player of the genre, brilliantly fusing the sounds of soul with the emerging world of funk to create a punching debut statement. By the end of '71, Roots will continue what he's started with his brand of funk growing ever more dominant within his own sound - Superfly would follow the year after, cementing his legend. Curtis / Live! came out in between his first two albums, recorded live at The Bitter End in New York at the beginning of '71. This sprawling 2-LP album is an excellent encapsulation of Curtis' live skill as a singer and guitar player with the album's more personal, stripped-back feel across the set. It's a galvanizing set of tunes that's bolstered by a tight band a Curtis' natural charisma as a performer throughout. The pure and evident skill of Mayfield is on full display with this album.
Choice of song is a big deal when it comes to live records - in my estimation, you want to make sure you have an equal balance of crowd-pleasers, established hits, maybe some deeper cuts, and some unique material that hasn't been put to disc. Mayfield has, luckily, got himself a lively set that ranges from stuff off his Curtis debut to his days with The Impressions to some new material - three songs that, from what I can gather, have only ever been live cuts from his back catalog - even better, they're all pretty solid. Album closer "Stone Junkie" is the standout of the new tunes with it's slow groove and Curtis' smooth wah-wah guitar throughout the track, but the soulful "I Plan to Stay a Believer" and the almost equally groovy "Stare and Stare" are great additions to the record. One compliment I want to give this record is how the slower moments work their way in - typically I've been critical of these moments as not being quite as exciting, but on Curtis / Live! they really work, including soulful performances of "People Get Ready" or "We've Only Just Begun."
Because of the small atmosphere and lack of a large ensemble of musicians (his backing group is four strong on this live album), many of the songs are more tight and homely feeling, and in some cases even compliment the songs beautifully - the rendition of "The Makings of You" may outdo the studio version. These less produced versions are complimented not only by a more gentle nature, but with added flourishes that weren't present - God bless the conga player on this album. In between these great moments, and sometimes during jams within the song, Mayfield also takes the time to banter with the audience, and his charisma comes shines through in his smooth demeanor, a lower speaking voice contrasting with his gentle yet powerful falsetto. Of course, in between classic shorter cuts like "Gypsy Woman" or "People Get Ready," Mayfield and the band let loose - a six minute version of "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue," the seven minute "Mighty, Mighty (Spade and Whitey)," and the centerpiece that is the nine minute "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" that serves as the album's longest and most powerful moment. These moments, more than any, showcase the band's talent, and I'd probably put them as the album's greatest moments - you can hear the excitement when the riff for "If There's a Hell Below" kicks in - Lucky Scott's bass playing is still unmatched here. My only complaint? With these longer songs, it's a little disappointing to be without "Move On Up."
Mayfield was entering the height of his powers, and Curtis / Live! is an ideal showcase of the man at his most talented - a great performer whose energy and excitement is palpable through the audio waves. The band is tight, the set list is killer, and the feel of the entire record is incredibly warm and intimate throughout. Perhaps it's not his best work, but it's a great and comfortable experience that is certainly worth hearing for the funk and soul lover in all of us - for what it's worth, I also like the album more than Roots. Curtis is truly alive here.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Curtis / Live!
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