by Leo Stanley
Transformation 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.