There's No Place Like America Today
| There's No Place Like America Today | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Curtis Mayfield | ||||
| Released | May 1975 | |||
| Genre | Funk, R&B | |||
| Length | 35:23 | |||
| Label | Curtom | |||
| Producer | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Curtis Mayfield chronology | ||||
| ||||
There's No Place Like America Today is the seventh studio album by American singer Curtis Mayfield. "Billy Jack" updated the streetwise chic of "Superfly", while "So in Love" was one of his most affecting love songs. The album was featured in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, published in 2005 by Cassell Illustrated.[1]
The track "Hard Times" was originally recorded by Baby Huey & the Babysitters (which Mayfield produced) and later covered by John Legend and The Roots on the collaborative cover album Wake Up!, featuring Black Thought, as the opening track.
The track "Blue Monday People" is a reference to the hit rock 'n' roll song "Blue Monday" by Fats Domino recorded in 1956.
The track "Billy Jack" was later covered by Lenny Kravitz on the compilation album A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield in 1994.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | D+[3] |
Album cover
The album cover was based on a famous photograph by Margaret Bourke-White of flood victims in 1937. The original photograph was published in the February 15, 1937 edition of Life magazine.[4]
Track listing
All tracks written by Curtis Mayfield.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Billy Jack" | 6:10 |
| 2. | "When Seasons Change" | 5:28 |
| 3. | "So in Love" | 5:15 |
| 4. | "Jesus" | 6:13 |
| 5. | "Blue Monday People" | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Hard Times" | 3:45 |
| 7. | "Love to the People" | 4:07 |
| Total length: | 35:23 | |
| Bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 8. | "Hard Times (Long version)" | 3:57 |
Personnel
- Curtis Mayfield - guitar, vocals
- Gary Thompson, Phil Upchurch - guitar
- Joseph "Lucky" Scott - bass guitar
- Quinton Joseph - drums
- Henry Gibson - percussion
- Rich Tufo - arrangements
References
- ↑ Outline Page
- ↑ Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ↑ Robert Christgau, Consumer Guide Reviews: Curtis Mayfield. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ↑ http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/05/31/worlds-highest-standard-of-living-if-youre-white-and-not-poor/ World's Highest Standard of Living
External links
- There's No Place Like America Today (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)