This Is My Country (The Impressions album)

This Is My Country is an album by the soul group the Impressions, released in 1968.[5][6] It was their first album released on Curtis Mayfield's label, Curtom Records.[4]

This Is My Country
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1968
GenreChicago soul[1]
Length29:13
LabelCurtom[2]
ProducerCurtis Mayfield
The Impressions chronology
We're a Winner
(1968)
This Is My Country
(1968)
The Versatile Impressions
(1969)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

Production

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"Gone Away" was written by Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, and Leroy Hutson.[7] Hathaway also worked on "You Want Somebody Else".

Critical reception

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The A.V. Club called the album inspiring and influential, writing that "even at its most syrupy, Mayfield gives his tunes elbow room, a muscular pulse, and an emotional complexity that's vengeful and redemptive all at once."[8] In a retrospective article, The Independent called it one of the 20 best albums of 1968, writing that "Mayfield gave notice of his own black pride on the stirring title track on which he both celebrates and condemns the country that his people populate."[9]

Track listing

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All tracks composed by Curtis Mayfield; except where indicated

  1. "They Don't Know" – 2:47
  2. "Stay Close to Me" – 2:03
  3. "I'm Loving Nothing" – 2:31
  4. "Loves Happening" – 3:07
  5. "Gone Away" (Donny Hathaway, Mayfield, Leroy Hutson) – 3:41
  6. "You Want Somebody Else" (Billy Griffin, Donny Hathaway) – 3:12
  7. "So Unusual" – 2:56
  8. "My Woman's Love" – 3:02
  9. "Fool for You" – 2:52
  10. "This Is My Country" – 2:48

Personnel

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Charts

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Year Chart Peak position
1969 R&B & Soul Albums 5
Pop Albums 107[10]

References

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  1. ^ Werner, Craig (December 18, 2007). "Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul". Crown – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Thompson, Dave (December 11, 2018). "Goldmine Record Album Price Guide". Penguin – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "This Is My Country - The Impressions | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 464.
  5. ^ "Lasting Impressions". www.austinchronicle.com.
  6. ^ Kutschke, Beate; Norton, Barley (April 25, 2013). "Music and Protest in 1968". Cambridge University Press – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Roberta Flack: Gone Away". wax-poetics.
  8. ^ "The Impressions: This Is My Country". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Playlist: The 20 best albums from 1968". The Independent. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2001). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955-2001. Record Research. p. 402.