Music: One of the Boys

She does not have the passion of Aretha Franklin, the slim chic of Diana Ross or the earthy sexuality of Tina Turner. But whether she comes in singing sassy, sly or riding on velvet, Gladys Knight is a marvel of emotional energy. Behind her the three Pips—Brother Merald and Cousins William Guest and Edward Patten—walk, run, shuffle, tap in staccato choreographic counterpoint. With a current NBC-TV summer variety series plus a pair of Grammy awards and a platinum and two gold albums in the past two years, Gladys Knight and the Pips are considered...