Album of the Day

Curtis Mayfield was riding high on the success of SUPER FLY at the time of BACK TO THE WORLD’s 1973 release, and the Curtom collection boasts the same mix of concern and hope as its predecessor. Representing the former are the title track about a Vietnam vet’s return home and “Future Shock” (named after the best-selling book about the dangerous pace of technology), yet the seven originals also include such gentler songs as “If I Were Only a Child Again.” Expertly arranged, the self-produced set underlines Mayfield’s haunting falsetto and guitar; Phil Upchurch contributes fine axework as well. A No.1 album on the Billboard R&B chart, BACK TO THE WORLD will take you back to the glory days of socially conscious ’70s soul.