New Life in ‘Real Life’

** 1/2 Simple Minds, “Real Life,” A&M.; The group’s first halfway-compelling album in six years shows there’s some life left in the old Scots yet. The production, for starters, strikes a happy compromise between the dense impressionism of early efforts and the clear literalism of Jimmy Iovine’s commercial breakthrough work: The influence of Pink Floyd and ‘70s soul ballads is felt throughout. Still, it’s an uneven comeback that starts and finishes slowly and oddly bunches all the best grooves together at the middle of the album. As a lyricist, Jim Kerr goes for clumsy suggestion rather than meaning, and his feel for “feel” is hardly unerring. Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic).