War

's first album without was a strange, imposing, and beautiful hybrid -- a bridge between their then-current work with and their roots, going back to the early '60s and their origins as and . Although it was never a hit -- topping out at number 190 on the charts -- or yielded any substantial AM radio hits, the album is musically imposing in its sheer breadth, and its boldness, melding the new and the best of the old update, incorporating songs, arrangements, and ideas that dated well back into the prior decade, and the group's origins as . From the quietly soaring 1971-vintage opener the music drifts back into the heavily -influenced updated slightly but basically a rousing '60s -cum- number that somehow ended up a failed single off the album. From there the album goes totally into left field with the -style featuring lyrics provided by no less a figure than ' . is a killer showcase for 's tenor sax, 's percussion, and 's organ, and is a haunting, slow, bluesy workout, inspired by romance, tragedy, and realization, showcasing composer 's blues harp and 's guitar. gets into wholly experimental territory with its length, and the topical political message seems an oddity today, but there's no questioning its musical boldness. ~ Bruce Eder