The 1986 album 'Different Light' was the commercial breakthrough for the Los Angeles hard-harmony quartet the Bangles, but it was also the sound of their careers getting away from them. All of the hits were written by outside writers; many of the instruments were played by session players; and the slick sound was different from – and softer than – the sharp, harmony-laden power pop of their earlier records. But the album's success gave Susanna Hoffs, Michael Steele and Debbi and Vicki Peterson the leverage and the confidence to do more of the work in house. Bangle members wrote or co-wrote everything on Everything, and new producer Davitt Sigerson, who helped David and David make their dark visions palatable to the masses, encourages the Bangles to kick hard into their songs.

Not that they're doing this all themselves. Hired guns Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly helped Hoffs write three songs, most notably the insouciant, inviting "In Your Room." But by taking more chances, the Bangles sound more comfortable than they have since their 1982 EP Bangles. On numbers like "I'll Set You Free" and "Make a Play for Her Now," their harmonies are the clearest and most evocative they've ever been – their voices float, coalesce and soar. The only problem is the lyrics. The Bangles are indeed comfortable on Everything, but the flip side to being comfortable is being complacent. The words of "Bell Jar," "Glitter Years" and several other songs circle around ideas without zeroing in, settling for cliché when they give up on precision. But the lyrics are balanced by the strong music, which is everything the quartet wants it to be. (RS 540)

JIMMY GUTERMAN