I have to say Mr. Curtis Mayfield debut Curtis from 1970 really is an impressive debut with how many great songs are on here. From the massively successful “move on up” to insightful “we the people who are darker than blue” and musically structured “don't worry." The amount of talent and work that went into this album is incredible. The production is one of the most standout things because the album, in a weird way, feels very lived in. The way the instruments were recorded and his voice is captured, it all feels very cozy and warm, like being in a lightly dimmed room listening to these songs with a warm fire in the fireplace. They just have so much feeling for them. I think it was the use of now outdated technology that gave the recordings some human imperfections, which make the album feel less polished but so warm compared to hyper-digital and sterile recordings these days. The use of so many instruments—harps, trumpets, bongos, and other instruments—helps the album feel fresh and gives it a lot of variety to the tracks. Then you have Curtis voice and lyrics. Top-notch vocalizing here and great harmony from front to back of the album. The lyrics talking about religion, the struggles of the black community, racism, love, moving on up in life, and more just make the album feel so universally relatable and timeless. The only thing I could see as a flaw was with the track “Black Miss America." I'm split about the lyrics, for I love celebrating black culture (being half black myself) and every black girl should be celebrated. It sucks because African Americans have always been separated from the mainstream culture of America, and so in turn we made our own stuff. It gets celebrated and praised. If white people made the same of a Miss White America, it could be seen as racist and makes me think, Isn’t that a double standard? Aside from its practicality, a perfect album.