War Of The Gods

You’ve just hit #1 on both the pop and R&B charts with the velvet-smooth infidelity tale “Me And Mrs. Jones,” its accompanying album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul made your transition from niche vocal jazz performer to soul superstar, and you’ve proven yourself one of the greatest interpreters of the Gamble/Huff catalogue. What’s next? Why not a record filled with contemplative conceptual songs about religion and spirituality that sounds like the single most psychedelic thing PIR would ever put out? The Side 1 two-fer of revelation-euphoria “I See the Light” and the title cut’s pantheistic ruminations would be worth the price alone, even if the flip didn’t feature the top-notch disco-soul of “The Whole Town’s Talking” and the closing gospel-tinged stunner “Peace, Holy Peace.”