When I heard that Grace Slick and Marty Balin had both left the Starship, I figured that the remaining members would have little choice but to call it quits, too. When I heard the new Freedom at Point Zero, though, I began to have second thoughts.

Inevitably, of course, the loss of two of rock’s most distinctive singers has hurt the group. And the new LP, which lacks the diversity of past outings, also suffers from frequently lightweight, pretentious lyrics. Nevertheless, the Starship still boasts a lot of guitar muscle, not to mention the considerable talents of new lead singer Mickey Thomas (who handled vocals on Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”). While the highlights on Point Zero wouldn’t be enough to send me to a record store, at any rate, they do foster optimism about what the band might produce once its members have adjusted to the changes in their ranks.