Roots (1971)

"Curtis Mayfield's visionary album, a landmark creation every bit as compelling and as far-reaching in its musical and extra-musical goals as Marvin Gaye's "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. Mayfield's growing musical ambitions, first manifested on the "Curtis" album, and his more sophisticated political sensibilities, presented with a lot of raw power on "Curtis Live!", are pulled together here in a new, richer studio language. The music is even bolder than the material on the "Curtis" album, with Mayfield expanding his instrumental range to the level of a veritable soul orchestra. Mayfield shows a degree of confidence that only a handful of soul artists of this era could have mustered. Rhino's acquisition of the Curtom catalog in 1996 led to a remastered and expanded reissue in 1999 with superior sound, detailed annotation, and the addition of 4 bonus tracks." (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)