Curtis Mayfield was as much social conscience for the 1960s and '70s as Chuck D was for the '80s and '90s. Mayfield was paralysed from the neck down when a lighting scaffold fell on him at a 1990 Brooklyn concert. Though he can no longer move his arms and hands, he has continued to write songs simply by singing lyrics and melodies to his family and staff. New World Order is both the first full album of all-new Mayfield material since 1990's Take It to the Streets, and the best since 1977's Short Eyes soundtrack. Though his signature guitar sound is sorely missed, the Latin-tinged, bubbly tunes and sharp-eyed words are unmistakably his. "Whenever life pulls you down," Mayfield sings, "you just get back up and hold your ground.... Let's get back to living again." --Geoffrey Himes