Kemp: Life From Riley : CHECK LIST****<i> Great Balls of Fire</i> ***<i> Good Vibrations</i> **<i> Maybe Baby</i> *<i> Running on Empty </i>

** 1/2JOHNNY KEMP. “The Secrets of Flying.” Columbia. Brash, bold and funky, Kemp’s “Just Got Paid” is a dance-floor ode to free time that’s just as strong as its precursor, the O’Jays’ 1976 hit “Livin’ for the Weekend.” The track, easily one of the finest party jams of the year, was written by Kemp and produced by 20-year-old Teddy Riley, who also had a hand in Keith Sweat’s “I Want Her” and Kool Moe Dee’s “How Ya Like Me Now,” among others. Riley brings out a frisky side in Kemp, and the album would have been much stronger if he’d been involved in more of its production. As it is, a sweet and tender Kemp emerges on “One Thing Led to Another,” “Feeling Without Touching” and “Just Like Flyin’,” while an urban medley of cuts from Marvin Gaye’s landmark 1971 “What’s Going On” album doesn’t work as well. Kemp sounds best on his own material. What he needs are some future projects with the funk-inducing Teddy Riley.