* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : COOL CATS SWING OUT

* * 1/2 “KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.” Curiosity Killed the Cat. Mercury. * * 1/2 “IT’S BETTER TO TRAVEL.” Swing Out Sister. Mercury. Both of these groups are certified big deals in Britain. But then, it seems like there’s a new big deal in Britain every couple of weeks. These bands are good--but not that good, though each sounds like a contender to be a hit Stateside as well. Each represents the next logical step in the new British cafe-society jazz/pop established by the likes of Sade, Simply Red and the Style Council. They adapt nostalgic cool to modern times with arrangements that sport both interesting horn and string touches and ultra-contemporary, though generally subdued, electro-funk foundations. Of the two, the jazzier trio Swing Out Sister is more interesting, thanks largely to Corrine Drewery’s rich, husky voice and arrangements that are a bit off the beaten track. But more conventional sound and songs of the poppier quartet Curiosity Killed the Cat will likely appeal to a broader audience.