Curtis Mayfield

This 1976 release finds Curtis Mayfield in an upbeat mood on a set of sophisticated love 'n' dance jams, with only "Welfare Man" burning with his old mix of anger, confusion and humanity. "Party Night" was deserved disco hit, but the real classic cuts here are "Soul Music" and the tender ballad "Only You Babe."

With Give, Get, Take and Have, Curtis Mayfield has fashioned the apotheosis of a musical
genre he has just invented. That genre consists, skeletally, of the interaction between
disco and the Sixties soul-music sensibility. It also places far more importance on wordplay
than most current disco. It is, bluntly, unique, and this album is Curtis Mayfield's
masterpiece. From its initial song, "In Your Arms Again (Shake It)," we are thorou... More >

This meanders more than is conscionable, though Curtis has been drifting through the ozone for so long that you don't notice at first. (For orientation purposes, compare Gladys Knight's "Mr. Welfare Man.") But I am most pleased to report that the opener, "In My Arms Again," is the first top-notch song he's written for himself since "Super Fly," (somebody bad riffing on guitar--sounds like . . . Curtis Mayfield), and that the three that follow rock and roll. (Grade - B)