*** DIVINYLS “Divinyls”, <i> Virgin</i>

Compared to Christina Amphlett’s forthright libidinousness, Madonna’s vogue sexuality seems vague. “I need fire / I got sensual desire / That’s what my body and nature does require,” Amphlett sings on this, the fourth album from her partnership with guitarist Mark McEntee. But like Madonna, the Australian singer presents sex in a way that to some is naughty, to others a threat, but at root is liberating and celebratory.

With McEntee’s stinging guitar matching Amphlett’s feral call, “Divinyls” is largely a catalogue of commands (“Lay Your Body Down”), urges (“Need a Lover”) and teases (“I Touch Myself”). But there’s more to this than a mere grope-fest: The underlying theme is of desires stirred--justified, if you will--by love.

The only problem is that the music isn’t always stirring enough. Only “Lay Your Body Down” and the rave-up “Bless My Soul” let Amphlett get completely wild, and that’s when she’s at her best. But this time the slower numbers convey the sultry flip-side to the uncaged lust, and keeping things a little restrained at times makes for the ultimate tease: What if she ever really lets loose?

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic).