Andy Pratt is one of those rare rock artists (Judee Sill is another) whose religious conversion rarely gets in the way of his music. Pratt's last album, Resolution, was imbued with a shimmering, almost palpable belief in the power of "universal love," the catchword of the religious group Pratt had joined. What was so charming—uplifting, in fact, even to those of us who can't quite share the faith—was that Pratt testified rather than preached.

But the power of Pratt's transformation has either lessened or is simply not being communicated as well on Shiver in the Night. There are three extraordinary songs on this album, surrounded by tunes which, although artfully produced by Arif Mardin (who did one of his best jobs on Resolution), lack the kind of purpose we've come to expect from Pratt. He seems to come to life only when he's letting us in on some highly personal illumination—something that in less skillful hands would probably seem embarrassing.

"All I Want Is You" is a simple enough love song. It's made to sound like a naked confession, though, by the urgency of Pratt's voice (which breaks into a falsetto I find riveting although it's an acquired taste), by the churchy feel of the ensemble vocals and by its sheer rhythmic urgency. In fact, the point late in the song where the vocal ensemble takes over is a captivating hook and suggests that if "All I Want Is You" were properly edited it could be a superb single.

"Rainbow," which follows "All I Want Is You," has as its catchphrase, "Ooh Jesus—I got a rainbow in my life." From that unpromising premise Pratt builds another highly convincing song—partly because he's such a contagious believer and partly because self-consciously, but appropriately, the music becomes faster and more intense when the catchphrase is introduced.

The album's second side, which suffers from the preachiness Resolution so handily avoided and from a lack of melody, is partially rescued by "Mama's Getting Love." It's not just that the song is so anomalous here, though among the disco rhythms and broad statements of Shiver in the Night it certainly stands as a beacon of eccentricity, but more importantly, it would be anomalous anywhere. "Mama's Getting Love," whose lyrics seem to suggest that a whole family can be energized by mother's pleasure, sets a jarring, angular melody against sweetly dissonant harmonies. It's pleasantly disturbing, the way some of Randy Newman's string arrangements are, and it shades the song's odd message perfectly.

Properly focused, Andy Pratt can make a song with the name "Mama's Getting Love" sound innocent and sensual at the same time. (RS 248)

PETER HERBST