OVER THEIR HEADS

“UNDER THE BLUE MOON.” New Edition. MCA. This group sounds OK singing high-tech soul. With shrewd production techniques covering up vocal deficiencies, New Edition’s albums have generally been fine. But with this collection of romantic ballads from the ‘50s and ‘60s, these kids are in way over their heads.

How dare they desecrate great ‘50s and ‘60s ballads like “Since I Don’t Have You,” “Blue Moon,” “What’s Your Name,” “Duke of Earl” and “Tears on My Pillow”? Their versions of these oldies are downright wimpy--merely lame copies of the glorious originals.

The problem is that these young soul singers have wispy, tissue-paper-thin voices that, for this material, are grossly underpowered. They don’t sing with much emotion either. Imagine “A Thousand Miles Away” or “A Million to One” or “Earth Angel” performed without a trace of soul or passion, and you’ll have a good idea of what this album sounds like.

Anyone familiar with the originals will probably have a hard time listening to these flaccid retreads. Possibly, young fans with limited exposure to these songs might find some value in this collection.