The husband-and-wife duo of George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam wrote Whitney Houston's two bounciest hits – "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," so it's no surprise that their own second album abounds in obvious but enticing melodies. Neither Merrill nor Rubicam possesses Houston's windstorm of a voice, so they sometimes have trouble penetrating the ultrafortified production, but "Waiting for a Star to Fall," "Bring Down the Moon" and their other paeans to true love keep things mildly effervescent. This is a lush album for suburban romantics. (RS 545)

ROB HOERBURGER