Mutha's Nature
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Mutha's Nature
| type = Studio album
| artist = James Brown
| cover = James Brown Mutha's Nature.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1977
| recorded = 1977
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Funk
| length = 36:40
| label = Polydor
| producer = James Brown
| prev_title = Bodyheat
| prev_year = 1976
| next_title = Jam 1980's
| next_year = 1978
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Mutha's Nature
| type = studio
| single1 = Give Me Some Skin
| single1date = July 7, 1977
| single2 = If You Don't Give a Doggone About It
| single2date = November 1, 1977
| single3 = Take Me Higher and Groove Me
| single3date = November 22, 1977
}}
}}
Mutha's Nature is an album by the American musician James Brown, released in 1977 through Polydor Records. It was arranged by Charles Sherwell and James Brown, with Sarah Pergantis credited for the cover illustration. The album's title is a play on "Mother Nature".
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite web|author=William Ruhlmann |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/muthas-nature-mw0000840332 |title=Mutha's Nature - James Brown |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2015-06-23}}
|rev2 = Robert Christgau
|rev2Score = C{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=June 9, 1980|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/rock/brown-80.php|title=A Consumer Guide to James Brown|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=December 7, 2016}}
|rev3 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide
|rev3score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=James Brown|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/109 109]}}
}}
The Bay State Banner praised "the skeletal, hard-driving, bottom-conscious funk with an equally hard-driving preaching vocal overhead."{{cite news |last1=Freedberg |first1=Mike |title=Mutha's Nature James Brown |work=Bay State Banner |issue=95 |date=11 Aug 1977 |page=15}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| title1 = Give Me Some Skin
| writer1 = Deanna Brown, Yamma Brown
| length1 = 3:58
| title2 = People Who Criticize
| writer2 = James Brown, Flower (Larry John Gordon)
| length2 = 4:27
| title3 = Have a Happy Day
| writer3 = Charles Sherrell
| length3 = 4:14
| title4 = Bessie
| writer4 = James Brown, Charles Sherrell, Johnny Griggs, Melvin Parker, St. Clair Pinckney
| length4 = 3:24
| title5 = If You Don't Give a Doggone About It
| writer5 = James Brown, Deanna Brown
| length5 = 6:31
| title6 = Summertime
| writer6 = George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward
| length6 = 5:29
| title7 = People Wake Up and Live
| writer7 = James Brown
| length7 = 3:32
| title8 = Take Me Higher and Groove Me
| writer8 = James Brown, Deirdre Brown
| length8 = 5:01
}}