FunkFreak75
Despite this being Lonnie's last album for the Columbia label (and the followup to a rather uninspired A Song for the Children), something (or someone[s]) have definitely put some zip back into Lonnie's music.
A1. "In The Park" (4:19) an uptempo Latin-percussion-led song with fretless bass and piano falling into place until Dave Hubbard's flute is brought in to amplify the main melody. Then Lonnie takes over with a nice melodic jazz piano solo. (Nice synth strings support coming from behind.) Light and delightfully peppy! (8.875/10)
A2. "Love Is The Answer" (4:47) this is not the Todd Rundgren/Utopia song that Hall & Oates made into a mega hit, this is Lonnie and James Robinson's doing. (8.875/10)
A3. "Speak About It" (5:56) a horn-infused jazz-funk-rock tune that almost sounds pre-hip hop with James' invested gospel/R&B vocal and the awesome smooth support of the team of background vocalists. Lonnie provides piano to add to and sometimes offset the rhythm section and Pee Wee Ford's slap bass play is off the charts! James also plays some guitar with Abdul Wali in the rhythm corps. And I love the near-militant the lyrics! So invigorating! Even when it goes EW&F and Disco in the end movements. This is a GREAT song: one of the best Lonnie and company have ever put out there. It should have been a major hit--at least on the Soul/R&B charts and stations. (9.75/10)
A4. "Bridge Through Time" (4:02) finger clicks, spacious rhythm guitar licks, and other electronic percussion sounds infuse this sparsely populated sonic field until Pee Wee's funky smooth bass and Lonnie's clean, reverb Fender Rhodes joins in, giving the song a very Earth Wind & Fire "Can't Hide Love" ("girl, I betcha!") feel. Soprano sax, Fender Rhodes, and synth strings provide a three-part harmony delivery of the main melody. Then in the final section Abdul steps up a bit to show us a little of his hidden talents. Nice! (8.875/10)
B1. "On The Real Side" (5:46) sophisticated, dynamic, and peppy, this is a kind of Jazz-Rock Fusion I'd like to hear more from Lonnie. And we've actually got Lonnie on an old organ for this one! (9.125/10)
B2. "The Enchantress" (4:57) on the soft/seductive side, Pee Wee Ford's funky slap bass and coupled with Abdul Wali's genius rhythm guitar interjections gives Lonnie's usual hypnotic beauty a fresh, more human dimension. (8.875/10)
B3. "Give Peace A Chance" (6:00) yet another attempt/offering of anthemic anti-war music calling for a social shift toward peace, love and kindness. Cool to hear Lonnie on organ some more as well as the use of horns and soulful b vox. (8.875/10)
B4. "Free And Easy" (3:10) a light, cheerful song that sounds as if BOB JAMES had lured JACO PASTORIUS into his studio for his input into a single song. Piano and smooth yet syncopated music. (8.75/10)
Abdul Wali is definitely the greatest guitar find I've heard on any Lonnie album up to this point. And Pee Wee Ford is definitely a great slap-funk bassist. Together with Lonnie's usual support crew they help make for the most lively, dynamic, and sophisticated jazz-funk Lonnie Liston Smith album I've heard up to this point in his discography. Reminds me of the music coming out of the Laws family. Well done, Guys!
Not at all your typical Lonnie Liston Smith fare! No indeed! The injection of zip and pep from slap-funk bassist Pee Wee Ford and amazing rhythm guitarist Abdul Wali as well as Lonnie's own experimentation with organ renders this collection of songs far more spirited, lively, and dynamic than anything he's ever produced up to this point in his discography. This may still be Smooth Jazz but it is the closest music to his jazz roots than anything the Cosmic Echoes or Marcus Miller collaborations ever revealed. I am blown away by the fresh new sound and wonderfully upbeat and zesty feeling I get from this album! This may have been Lonnie's last album with Columbia (whether he knew it or not) but he sure goes out with a bang! Mega kudos to whoever infused Lonnie with this new life! If it was just Pee Wee and Abdul, then I bow down to you two. I suspect there was something much more profound going on in Lonnie's life.
A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of a collection of masterfully rendered and perfected Jazz-Rock Fusion and Jazz-Funk songs.