SYD STRAW “Surprise.” Virgin *** : POP STARS ***** Great Balls of Fire **** Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door *** Good Vibrations ** Maybe Baby * Ain’t That a Shame

Talk about moving in lofty circles: Helping Straw along on her first solo album is a who’s-who of thinking-folks’ pop. The large, rotating cast includes Michael Stipe, Richard Thompson, Ry Cooder and John Doe, but Straw, who first got noticed singing with the Golden Palominos, has the sort of talent that leaves her in no danger of being overshadowed. This is a singer flexible and adventurous enough to echo a torch-carrying Carly Simon, a wistful Emmylou Harris, or twisted-sounding underground rockers like Throwing Muses. Moreover, Straw co-wrote and produced a good deal of the album.

Not all of these adventures work. Straw sounds stiff and strident as she attempts a 130-year-old Stephen Foster hymn, “Hard Times”--maybe this one is a job for Emmylou. On the other hand, the gorgeous Straw-Daniel Lanois original “Golden Dreams” is a delicate bit of country-folk balladry that Harris might do well to cover. Straw gets indifferent results with two socio-philosophical ramblings--”The Unanswered Question?” (too diffuse) and the Stipe duet “Future 40’s” (warmed-over R.E.M.). She is much more in her element singing about romantic longings and urges. The slower, softer ones ache or rage convincingly, a Talking Heads-style art-funk number hits its groove, a Dylanesque shaggy-dog story ambles along playfully, a Who-meets-the-Jefferson-Airplane rocker reaches critical mass, and a dB’s tune displays all the pure-pop smarts you could want.