1971 was a good year for music. James Brown and the JB's were refining the essence of funk, Led Zepplin were creating riffs left right and centre and Lee Scratch Perry was tweaking the controls making dub reggae a new viable genre.
Curtis Mayfield was in his second year apart from The Impressions on his newly created independent Curtom label. His eponymous LP was released the year before and when this his new LP - Roots hit the shops he was only a year away from penning his most critical and commercial sucess of his career the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film - Super Fly.
With his trademark falsetto vocals and his hard hitting social commentary lyrics this album is a far fly from the bubblegum pop of the time. None more so than the track Now Your'e Gone - an ode to a lost love. Sit back and enjoy "The Gentle Genius" as he was named. A real master at work.
Curtis Mayfield - Now You're Gone
