R&B;’S LOVE COUPLE

“REAL LOVE.” Ashford and Simpson. Capitol. This durable songwriting duo still receives the most recognition for the classic hits they wrote more than 20 years ago for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell--”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” among others.

But in the late ‘70s, the love songs Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson conjured up for themselves, while not huge radio hits, were just as handsomely tailored and inspired: “Let Love Use Me,” “Is It Still Good to Ya” and “It Seems to Hang On” were all personal-sounding originals that fit and enhanced their image as R&B;’s preeminent Love Couple.

That must be a tough tag to wear, and it’s one they allude to here on “10th Round.” While not the best cut on the album, it’s still interesting in its depiction of a couple that does its “slugging and hugging” in the public eye. Stronger is the heartfelt “Count Your Blessings.” While not as instantly catchy as last year’s “Solid,” it does have the slick, black adult-contemporary sound that has become Ashford and Simpson’s stock in trade.