At this point, it is easy to see that the
John McLaughlin story has become a peripatetic journey of electric-acoustic switchbacks, with the formation of
the One Truth Band that plays on this LP being just another short chapter in the saga. And this time,
McLaughlin is thoroughly in charge: there is little of the competitive dueling or tightly drilled, high-volume unison lines of the past; it's the guitarist and his sidemen, although sometimes keyboardist
Stu Goldberg steps out with some wicked chops.
McLaughlin returns
Miles Davis' favor of naming a piece on
Bitches Brew after him by turning the tables, and indeed, "Miles Davis" often has the loose, jamming feeling (and a quote of "It's About That Time") of the maestro's own jazz-rock sessions. There are also some aftershocks from the
Shakti experience on "Love and Understanding." For the most part, though,
McLaughlin conforms to the controlled funk and electronic sounds of the times, with generally more restraint and a considerable musical payoff. ~ Richard S. Ginell