In 1978, Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded one album as a group in addition to doing some recording separately. That year, Knight provided her first solo album, Miss Gladys Knight, for Buddah/Arista, while the Pips recorded Callin' (their second album without her) for Casablanca. And together, they recorded The One and Only, which didn't go down in history as one of their all-time classics but is a generally pleasant, if unspectacular, soul-pop outing. This LP finds the quartet working with various producers, including Michael Masser, Richie Wise, Tony Camillo, and the Van McCoy/Charles Kipps team. The album's best-known offering is the disco-flavored single "It's a Better Than Good Time," which Knight also recorded as a solo artist in 1978. Other decent tracks range from the vibrant "Come Back and Finish What You Started" (written by McCoy/Kipps) to the ballad "What If I Should Ever Need You" and the exuberant, gospel-minded "Saved By the Grace of Your Love." Nothing on The One and Only is in a class with "Midnight Train to Georgia" or "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)," but none of the material is bad either. Although not essential and not recommended to casual listeners, The One and Only is worth hearing if you're among Gladys Knight & the Pips' die-hard fans.
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