Curtis Mayfield Albums Ranked

Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. He first achieved success and recognition with The Impressions during the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, and later worked as a solo artist. Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1990. Despite this, he continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album New World Order in 1996. Mayfield won a Grammy Legend Award in 1994 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. He is a double inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Impressions in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He was also a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. He died from complications of type 2 diabetes at the age of 57 on December 26, 1999. Here are all of Curtis Mayfield albums ranked.

Click below and listen to one of the most influential artists of all time. Reminisce the timeless music of Curtis Mayfield.

10. Got To Find A Way

“Mayfield’s groovy Blues-Funk, exemplified here by four stellar tunes, Love Me (Right in the Pocket), Mother’s Son, Cannot Find a Way, and Ain’t No Love Lost, may be what contributed most to his legendary fame. His ballads, however, were always cherished by Mayfield’s true fan community, and So You Don’t Love Me is a fine example of that side of Curtis Mayfield. A third side, the religious one, also present here with A Prayer, was never interesting to me. But that’s what one has to accept in an artist – an artist’s versatility requires a listener with an open mind.”

9. New World Order

“New World Order is a mix of romantic songs and socially conscious songs (yeah, no surprise there), through all of them Mayfield’s voice is in fine form. Lots of people help out on this album, just check out the credits, and they do a fine job but everything runs through Curtis, this album is his through and through and its a very good one, that not many people know about. It’s a beautiful goodbye, from a giant of soul music, of any music. It’s “A Little Bit of Love”.

8. Curtis/Live!

“The best part of this album is that it proves how talented Curtis Mayfield actually is. This is the stripped down version: no dense, lush production; no string sections; just bass, drums, guitars, percussion and vocals. You wouldn’t necessarily think that this would work as well as it does, but it makes for a highly enjoyable listen. There’s an intimacy to this small club show which is sometimes missing from Mayfield’s more grand productions.”

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7. The Anthology 1961-1977

“The Anthology 1961-1977 focuses more on the work of The Impressions when Curtis Mayfield was their leader rather than when Curtis left the impressions to expand on his work through the soloist’s venue, so it should come as no surprise that this collection does a better job at summarizing the career of The Impressions instead of Mayfield solo.  This is an absolutely great place to start for Impressions fans and solo Curtis Mayfield fans, but for different reasons.”

6. Back To The World

“A brilliant album, second only to Superfly in the Mayfield canon. There’s nary a weak track on this one, in fact, all of them without exception are stellar. In my estimation, Curtis would never again make an album this strong. In my opinion, Curtis was one of the most brilliant writers of the Soul era. His best work is melodic, engaging, and effortlessly funky, and usually features some beautiful and complex arrangements and production.”

5. Sweet Exorcist

“Forget all the clichés you’ve been reading about this album (you’ll find some of those clichés right here on this page), this is classic Curtis. Sweet Exorcist is a wonderful record, filled with beautiful, powerful songs. To Be Invisible is one of the most delicate and sweet ballads ever written. Don’t let this one pass you by.”

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4. There’s No Place Like America Today

“This is a very reflective album that reveals what a person living in that day might have felt and the raw emotion they may have been dealing with. And it gives the listener a very in depth level of understanding as to what was going on inside of Curtis himself as he looked at the world of his day and saw very real issues that were having very real consequences. Just listen to his heartfelt cry in “Jesus”, I think he truly lets his listener into his psyche on this album maybe more than any other and revealed that behind his warm and friendly smile, their was a man who was deeply disturbed about the course of the country he found himself in.”

3. Roots

“It’s kind of funny that Curtis Mayfield’s 3rd solo album “Roots” is always rated very highly, coming as it does in the middle of perhaps the greatest consecutive string of soul albums ever, but it’s still a bit of sacrilege to declare it a “perfect” album on par with the 3 other classics that surround it. It’s always “almost there but not quite”. In some sense this sentiment is understandable.”

2. Curtis

“One of the truly paradigm-altering albums.  As far as the soul is concerned, Curtis invented the 1970s, ushering it into being with a symphonic swoop and a social eye.  Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On gets more attention but was effectively a neutered and diluted sequel to this, and while Stevie Wonder made better music after this, he probably wouldn’t have been able to without Curtis’ guiding hand.”

1. Superfly

“Super Fly was intended to spill from your stereo bigger than life, filled with entanglements that were beyond analyzation, and to that end, Mayfield was no saint, being arrested many times for his abusive behavior toward women, where perhaps our tolerance of this aspect only encouraged others to swagger down the same path, as they were taught that this was how life was lived.  So, while Curtis Mayfield may be considered a rare American poet, one who was capable of jabbing social commentary, he certainly lived a contradictory life.  Nevertheless, the album was a splendid vehicle for Mayfield, one that’s certainly been attempted since, yet stands as a singular crowning achievement, perhaps because Mayfield was at the right place at the right time with the right skills.”