John McLaughlin explained that the album pays several homages: "Here come the Jiis" is dedicated to the memory of musician Mandolin Shrinivas with whom he played for 14 years; the piece "Panditji" is a sign of respect to Pandit Ravi Shankar, with whom he studied under during the mid-1970s; and the composition "El Hombre que Sabià" is dedicated to the late flamenco musician Paco de Lucia. McLaughlin also noted that this album may be his final one.
Reception
of The Guardian wrote "They’re calling this latest album by the implausibly youthful 73-year-old guitar tornado John McLaughlin the work of “the Mahavishnu Orchestra of the 21st century” – a reference to the cult band McLaughlin formed in the 1970s to blend jazz, Indian music and high-energy electric fusion. His nine years with the 4th Dimension quartet – featuring the British pianist Gary Husband, bass guitarist Étienne M’Bappé and percussionist Ranjit Barot – have also had plenty of flying guitar breaks, anthemic themes, chattery Indo-scat and pin-sharp unison licks, but Black Light's emergence in October heralded a new maturity and even a rare spaciousness.... It's not just a guitar buff's album, but 4th Dimension's best work yet." John Garrat of PopMatters stated "It’s a studio album so it’s bound to be a tamer animal. But McLaughlin can still let his fingers fly with remarkable dexterity while hanging onto a melody. The 4th Dimension remain as professional and precise as ever, particularly drummer Ranjit Barot who debatably has the most precarious and thereby the most important job of the band by keeping all the elements tied together." Ira Kantor of Elmore Magazine noted "Throughout the album, as on Now Here This, you get the image of McLaughlin with his head bobbing, a smile on his face as his fingers work their magic. “El Hombre Que Sabia” is a tribute to flamenco giant Paco de Lucia, featuring fast-flying fingers across an acoustic guitar. It's also the softest track on the album and sounds like McLaughlin is trying to conjure up beautiful Friday Night in San Francisco vibes of yore... As a whole, Black Light brings more meat to McLaughlin's repertoire. It's great knowing his Mahavishnu Orchestra leanings will never fully disappear."
Track listing
Personnel
Band
John McLaughlin – electric and acoustic guitar, guitar programming, synthesizer
Gary Husband – synthesizer, piano, drums, percussion
