I was listening to this track...last night...This is simply a great track...As a poet/writer myself,,,this man has always inspired me with his lyrics...Great lyrical stuff going on here...And the track ends on such an optimistic note, how can you NOT feel good about the future after listening to this song...This is the title track from his 1996 album New World Order, which got rave reviews from critics, the year it was released.

We know his work in the 60's and 70's was great, even groundbreaking...but this song and the album is not to be missed...

Mr. Mayfield's swan song found him going out with style and class...


Brother 9/15

'We people who are darker than blue'...
That track is a work of art.

nikkhendrix said:

Yes. Curtis was saying the things many people were thinking, but didn't necessarily want to say.

I've always put Curtis in that Superfly box and recently was listening to a best-of thinking this stuff is all not to be put in ANY box. So I bought his Live cd from the early 70's and it's blowing my mind.

In addition to his powerful social lyrics (which to me, couldn't be written better) his groove, his soul and the conga solo bring me to tears everytime I listen to it.

Curtis Mayfield

Oh yeah, thanks for the suggestion on the cd but I know now that I won't be happy until I own everything the man recorded.

Slave2daGroove said:

Alright, I wasn't going to mention this... but the above comment made me do it...

Last year, I was attending a friend's wedding in Sweden. The wedding dinner was held in a very traditional, ceremonious style at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm. After the dinner, guests were invited to the lounge bar for drinks.

There was a jazz trio playing smooth music in the background. Nobody was paying much attention. After a while, I began to notice something: the drummer/percussionist was using all kinds of weird voodoo-like improvised sounds!

During a short break I went to the drummer and told him how I was digging his stuff.

- So, someone was actually paying attention? he replied with a smirk.

It turned out this guy was actually Henry Gibson, master of the congas, and long-time collaborator of Curtis Mayfield! (He also played with the likes of Marvin Gaye and Minnie Riperton...) I told him I was a fan, and this guy told me how fortunate he was to have been in the company of Curtis, whom he called 'a genius'... He was, himself, very modest and I don't think he realized what the music he had helped create meant to me...

That night, I enjoyed the most surreal private concert ever!

Hyungbu said:

Great story! Thanks for sharing it. I love the "Genius" part, I've got to listen to my cd again