S.O.S.’ NOUVEAU FUNK

“SANDS OF TIME.” The S.O.S. Band. Tabu. At worst, tolerable. Simply because Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who wrote and produced most of the tunes here, seem incapable of making bum records--or non-hits, having successfully applied their nouveau-funk formula to stacks o’ wax by Janet Jackson, Cherrelle, Alexander O’Neal and this Atlanta-based, co-ed outfit. Contrasting a down ‘n’ dirty bottom with lighter-than-air keyboards and percussion, the overall sound of “Even When You Sleep,” “The Finest” and “Borrowed Love” is sleek and spacious and sticks to the hips like a polyester/silk skirt on a hot, wet afternoon--slinky, stanky stuff, but without a scent of S.O.S. Band’s own personality. Which is probably just as well. Hell, even a rock critic could get a hit working in this setting.