If you thought Bernie Worrell was just the driving musical force behind the greatest band in history, Parliament/Funkadelic, you're wrong. He's also a classically trained (Juillard, etc.) master of any keyboard you can name. Here he's more into the band concept than on his previous solo outing, Funk of Ages, but still venturing into nonfunk territory like hiphop, jazz, classical and modern African musics. The synthesis works quite simply and as a bonus, three cuts feature George Clinton as writer for the true Funkateer in you. Other guests included the JB Horny Horns, the Jungle Brothers' Mike G, Bill Laswell and Bootsy Collins on all guitars. I'm glad to see Worrell getting away from the artiness of Material, a band I've always considered less than the sum of its parts. This is a broad-ranging and challenging album. Look for great things on Clinton's next solo. (Pat Anders)