ALBUM REVIEW : BETTE MIDLER; “Bette of Roses” (<i> Atlantic</i> ) * 1/2

One so wants to like everything the Divine Miss M does. But you’d have to reach back two decades to find an album of hers that even hints at the endearing wit and charm she displays on stage and screen. Pretty much the only thing about “Bette of Roses” that will raise a smile is its cute title.

Which is not to say the album is wholly without appeal. It’s just that the entertainment it provides is so, well, mainstream . The shallowness of the material--practically every selection is the aural equivalent of a romance novel--is almost unbearable. And the presentation isn’t much better.

Midler’s breathily spoken “I would die for you” in “To Deserve You” exemplifies the sort of facile emotion generated by her vocals. Her performance on this song is even more appalling when you imagine the gut-wrenching delivery the composer, Maria McKee, would give it.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).