The material on
One in the Sun was not released until 14 years after it was recorded, and about a decade after
Steve Gaines had died along with other members of
Lynyrd Skynyrd in a plane crash. It's a competent set of R&B-flavored laid-back rock, sometimes with a bit of a funkified reggae feel.
Gaines wrote most of the songs, singing lead on all tracks but one, also covering
the Impressions' "It's Alright" and
Taj Mahal's arrangement of "Black Jack Davey." Nothing's too flashy or striking in either the instrumental or vocal department. It leaves the impression of a solid musician much more suited to playing a support role within a band than being a featured soloist -- which is, of course, what happened, though
Gaines had only a brief time to play that role in
Lynyrd Skynyrd before his death. ~ Richie Unterberger