Parts of the second solo album by Prestige Records' house drummer,
Idris Muhammad, are an even poppier affair than Black Rhythm Revolution, with a mellow soul-jazz feel replacing the slight Latin tinge of the earlier album. Side one is downright crossover, with its two pieces of positive-thinking pop (the lyrics, by
Muhammad, are sung by his wife,
Sakinah Muhammad) separated by a loose but faithful take on
Wilson Pickett's "Don't Knock My Love." That's just side one, though. Side two is something much weirder and far more interesting. "The Peace and Rhythm Suite" is a side-long suite consisting of two long, spacy compositions that predate the ambient house scene by nearly two decades yet sound entirely of a piece with that style. Long, droning, sustained chords on a variety of wind and reed instruments float above
Muhammad's percussion, which ebbs and flows in a free, almost arrhythmic way through most of the piece. Fans of
the Orb or
Brian Eno will find it an old hat, but for early-'70s jazz, this was downright revolutionary. ~ Stewart Mason