RICHIE ADVANCES THE POLITICS OF CELEBRATION

“DANCING ON THE CEILING.” Lionel Richie. Motown.

Richie is the perhaps the most conservative of today’s mega-selling pop artists. There has been little hint in his music of the provocateur stance of Prince, the absorbing social consciousness of Bruce Springsteen or the bold eccentricity of Michael Jackson.

Richie specializes in what works for him: love songs. He’s a graceful and consistent singer and writer whose most appealing tracks reflect an unusual universality and warmth.

He sees his role as someone who brings people together, not as someone--like Springsteen or Prince--who challenges or confronts. That’s why his “All Night Long” was such a natural choice for the closing ceremony of the 1984 Olympics, and why it was fitting that he co-wrote “We Are the World,” the heart of the USA for Africa campaign.

Yet those experiences have left Richie with a deeper sense of social purpose, and his attempts to infuse that sense into his traditional approach brings a tension to the new album that makes “Dancing on the Ceiling” his most satisfying collection.

This album doesn’t turn its back on ballads. “Say You, Say Me” is backed by other love songs that will make Richie fans feel they are in comfortable territory. But the soul of the LP is in the growth and adventure exhibited in the remaining tunes as Richie weaves a yearning for social responsibility and justice into statements of rejoicing and hope that could be called his own Politics of Celebration.

“Love Will Conquer All”--written by Richie, Cynthia Weil and Greg Phillinganes--is the subtlest step in this direction; a song that combines Richie’s smooth romanticism with a message of understanding directed more at communities and countries than lovers.

The title song--already a Top 20 single--shifts the neighborhood celebration of “All Night Long” from a Caribbean lilt into a more spirited, urban dance-floor groove. “Don’t Stop” is an even funkier dance track, combining traditional Motown sensualness (think Marvin Gaye) with a bit of Thomas Dolby/Peter Gabriel synthesizer dynamics.

“Se La,” the album’s boldest moment, blends the party-minded invitation of “All Night Long” with Richie’s most direct social message. The song, which expands the “we are the children” sub-theme of “We Are the World,” is dressed in reggae trappings that acknowledge the Jamaican music’s role as a sort of international protest music.

The album’s biggest surprise is the sturdy, rock-oriented “Tonight Will Be Alright,” yet another song of celebration that is accented by Eric Clapton’s enticing guitar lines.

Richie’s last album, “Can’t Slow Down,” was the biggest seller in Motown’s history (10 million-plus), and this record will be judged by those standards. There are too many variables in radio programming trends and public tastes to know how well “Dancing on the Ceiling” will do commercially.

Richie sometimes goes too far in trying to reach a broad audience. Alabama’s backing vocals may catch the ear of country programmers, but their conventional singing is at odds with the personal tone of the song’s statement of emotional rededication.

Mostly, however, Richie has come up with a classy, state-of-the-art production that gives him a shot at that sales figure. And, he has grown at the same time. Not a bad combination.