Transformation

by Leo StanleyTransformation finds Lonnie Liston Smith continuing to explore the smooth, overtly commercial soul-jazz direction he began in the early '80s. It has a bit more grit and invention than such albums as Magic Lady, yet it doesn't surge forward with the restless searching that distinguished his earlier masterworks. His brother Donald sings on "Space Princess" and "Transformation," but the best moments are tracks like his reworking of "A Chance for Peace (Give Peace a Chance)," which suggest that Smith still has the talent to be a true contender.