New World Order

On New World Order, his first record since a freak accident left him paralyzed six years ago, R&B genius Curtis Mayfield sounds spirited and firmly in command of one of the most elegantly intimate vocal styles in pop-music history. The mellow groove, complete with wah-wah guitar fills and purring backup vocals, may speak of decades past, but the effect is that of a needed catch-me-up with a long-absent friend. Mayfield's own exquisite guitar playing is missed, but his social consciousness and unaffected delivery remain intact. Welcome back. B+