The The One and Only [Expanded Edition] in Bloomington, MN

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
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
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,
is worth hearing if you're among
' die-hard fans. ~ Alex Henderson