Millie Jackson has referred to her records as "musical soap opera." Not so: the slick vapidity and easy emotion of soap opera are completely absent in her work. On Free and in Love, she defines tough, intelligent women involved in strained personal situations without once lapsing into self-pity or bathos.

Unlike her last two records, Free and in Love is not a concept album, and the comparatively loose structure also shows in her singing. Her raspy voice snaps out lyrics with casual authority; "Solitary Love Affair," for example, is a weak song that's strengthened considerably by her phrasing and passion.

Jackson's main problem is the spottiness of her material. "A House for Sale" is a good idea gone banal; "I'm Free" is enjoyable mainly for the way she yowls "free" and makes the phrase "googly-eyed" sound as if it belongs in this angry song. And even Jackson's slightly offkey chorus on Bad Company's "Feel like Making Love" cannot breathe more than a wisp of humanity into that mechanical clunker.

Most effective are the more thoughtful tunes, in which Jackson manages to sound both melancholy and defiant. "Tonight I'll Shoot the Moon" is the best example, followed closely by "I'm in Love Again," which contains a few of the more eloquent moans issued since Aretha Franklin's prime. Best of all is "There You Are," a sung/spoken tale of a party pickup wherein Millie outbrazens a friend and does the picking up.

In general, the best numbers on Free and in Love are the ones Jackson wrote. Credit for the partial rescue of the mediocre songs must also go to coproducer Millie Jackson for spiking the soupier melodies with tart R&B strains. At this point, it seems only Millie Jackson knows how to handle Millie Jackson. Which is just the way she wants it. (RS 215)

KENNETH TUCKER