During the depths of the first lockdown one way I passed the blur of monotonous days was by delving into new music genres that I hadn’t previously given thought to. With the sun blazing down it seemed rude not to test the waters of the soul genre. Epitomised by funky instrumentals, high pitched vocals and a politically conscious message, these facets of the genre were all warmly welcomed with open arms during the politically unsure times of lockdown. However, for me one track in particular stood out, Curtis Mayfield’s soulful ballad ‘So In love’. An artist who oftentimes used his voice as a force in the political scene, ‘So In Love’ takes up a different tone, instead offering a much-needed reprieve from uncertain times, something which certainly resonated with me during a period of fast approaching deadlines and endless restrictions.

From a young age Mayfield found companionship within religion, and at just the age of seven he sang in the choir at his aunt’s church, the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers. This love for Christianity was enhanced during his time in the soul / gospel group ‘The Impressions’, where he first made a name for himself. Religious preaching eventually surfaced as a central theme in Mayfield’s solo work and became the cornerstone of his politically conscious pieces. The 1960’s was overflowing with social turmoil, seeing the assassination of JFK and Martin Luther King, as well as an increasing number of Civil Rights protests as racial injustice worsened. For oppressed groups in America there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel, they needed a message of unity, perhaps from above, and for many that came from Mayfield. Unveiling song after song that would embolden and empower the many that joined along in the campaigns for equal rights, his message was relentless as he sang of the triumph of coming together as a unified people.

There is no kidding that his hard-hitting, politically mindful epics were vastly important, as they soundtracked the civil rights movement and rallied a people to stand up against a common enemy, however, his tracks which took a more emotional approach were just as crucial at raising people’s spirits. Appearing on his fifth studio album There’s No Place Like America Today, ‘So In Love’ sends an equally important message of reciprocated love, reminding people that there still is something worth fighting for.

An album charged by thoughtful political and racial conversation, There’s No Place Like America Today evokes its own time and place as surely as the album cover represents the chasm between American dreams and street-level reality. Mayfield tries to unpack the difficult question of: what has changed for the African American in the 1970s? With shock, disenchantment and outright paranoia still prevalent, the answer is shockingly little, so Mayfield uses ‘So In Love’ as a welcome breath of fresh air amongst all this uncertainty. One of the most sombre funk tracks ever made, the song opens with a soothing pluck of a bass and a delicate organ progression, setting the mood from the offset and preparing you for five minutes of total relaxation. Across its course nothing is wasted on the track, every note hits with purpose and effortless elegance, creating this heavenly bubble outside of all life’s stress. The organs provide a sturdy backdrop, from which Mayfield builds on; the rhythmic bass trundles on in nonchalant fashion, whilst the angelic trumpets provide an irresistibly cheery disposition to the whole track.

Whilst this instrumental perfectly encapsulates the untroubled life of happy matrimony, Mayfield’s lyrics take it a step further, acting as a pleasant reminder of all the good still left in the world. One of my favourites is his eloquent phrasing of:

Look at me, look at you

Highlighting those pleasant silences, you can only share with that special someone, his pairing of “me” and “you” alongside the balanced clause emphasises the effortlessly joy of harmonious love. Continuing to paint this simplistic picture of loving infatuation, Mayfield takes his brush and creates a picture of “You are you and I being me”. Hyper-personal, his constant use of personal pronouns highlights the importance of just being yourself in a relationship. Forget the pressures of the world, and just live in the sweetness of the moment. Ultimately, that is the entire message of the track. Serving as a quiet oasis in a world of strife Mayfield set out to take people’s minds off the strife spreading throughout America, even if it was just for a moment. But as history has proven, sometimes a moment is all it takes.