From queen of soul to Motown with the Pips to Diana Ross rival to the Columbia years to solo adult contemporary songstress, Gladys Knight has been entertaining us for five consecutive decades. In celebration of this mighty staying power, her relationship with the Heavenly Father, and her relatively recent conversion to Mormonism, Knight brings her fans Many Different Roads, a relatively slick album of inspirational numbers. Still in possession of one of the best instruments in the business, the singer holds forth with a baker's dozen of easy listening. While somewhat uneven and in no way up to the par of her early work with the Pips, this long-player serves as a worthy vehicle for both adamant Knight fans and Christian music collectors. "Mercy's Arms" is an elegantly wrought ballad, "Precious Lord" and "Saints Melody" tap into the deep well of traditional gospel, and "With a Smile," accompanied by strings and piano, recalls Dinah Washington's pop-jazz sophistication. --Paige La Grone