Many people can’t weave social issues like “team light skin vs team black skin”, street violence, economic empowerment, and racial unity into a lyrically concise six minute song. Well, that’s unless you were one of the leading voices in funk and psychedelic soul during the Black Power Movement. Mayfield’s vocals and words carry a deep conversational tone that leads straight into a DPJ approved percussion solo by Henry Gibson (not the actor, but that would be crazy). The horns, bass lines, and socially conscious lyrics heard throughout Mayfield’s debut album Curtis showed his evolving style from his days as the lead singer of the Impressions. Powerful and poetic, the song elevates above being preachy and instead inspires.