Olivia Newton-John's best album to date mixes tunes of lust ("Physical," "Landslide") with songs about ecology ("The Promise," "Silvery Rain") in a dazzling pop-rock bubblegum production by John Farrar. Newton-John's pert, Barbie-doll vocals boast an extra oomph, while Farrar's exquisite arrangements, with their synthesized frills and Munchkin-like background vocals, gloss Bee Gees buoyancy, Beatles psychedelia and Pointer Sisters pop-funk with virtuosic ease. Physical is a perfect aural milkshake from the Farrah Fawcett of rock. (RS 363)

STEPHEN HOLDEN