Advertisement

* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : NICE-GUY GALLANTRY

Share

* 1/2 “SURFACE.” Surface. Columbia. There’s a pervasive nice-guy gallantry in much of this unit’s pop-flavored soul. It’s apparent on “Happy,” the trio’s awash-with-romanticism crossover hit, and on “Feels so Good,” which ambles along at an agreeable pace and never digs too deeply into love’s rocky terrain. The lyrics on “You’re Fine” are as responsible as one could hope for in the paranoia-prone ‘80s: “You’re fine but you’re not my type/I don’t want to fool around unless the feeling’s right.” The music and message are nice, but uninteresting since the guys sound like a junior-league version of the Isley Brothers--without that group’s kinky dimensions and passionate depth.

Advertisement