Confident and sassy, the Motels manage to fuse L.A. production values with high-spirited New Wave insistence on Little Robbers, their fourth and most invigorating album. Little Robbers offers a bumper crop of songs brimming with high spirits, not to mention the bewitchingly sultry vocal cords of Martha Davis.

Starting off with the high hard stuff, "Where Do We Go from Here (Nothing Sacred)" is a fun-filled rocker that borrows and restyles from groups as diverse as the Ventures and the Beatles. Marty Jourard, a double threat on keyboards and sax, provides the Farfisa tribute while Guy Perry spits out riffs that hark back to "Money" and any number of spy movies. With "Suddenly Last Summer," Davis raises the emotional ante, wistfully confessing the heartache of a lost summer. Cushioned by the gentle strains of Jourard's synthesizer, she maintains a smoldering reserve that transcends the usual limitations of the romantic ballad. Shifting effortlessly from torch song to rave-up, the Motels kick in the door with "Trust Me," a pedal-to-the-metal joyride with all the accessories: machine-tooled power chords, a flashy sax break and a frantic beat that climaxes in a jolting flourish.

Little Robbers does have a few lame moments. "Tables Turned" is an altogether lifeless concoction, and "Footsteps" limps along on a grooveless beat, a dull ending to a lively album. But let's not quibble; much of Little Robbers is bursting with creative energy, and when Davis intones "Help me remember the nights with you," how can you resist? (RS 406)

ERROL SOMAY