Producer-composer Narada Michael Walden has pulled off a major coup in creating for Sister Sledge an album equal in strength to We Are Family, the landmark 1979 LP produced by Chic's Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers that put the foursome on the map. A relatively undistinguished artist on his own, Walden has expanded Sister Sledge's range of musical styles, cannily incorporating elements of Chic's unique rhythmic formula while nudging the group toward the polished pop-soul of the Jones Girls and the Whispers. The result is at least one side that's terrific from beginning to end.

All American Girls starts explosively with three hot dance tunes, stitched together without a break. The title track is a pop-funk chant with a feminist slant that equates Americanism with equal opportunity for women and blacks: a definite cut above the usual "get down, get down" dance hooks. "All American Girls" segues abruptly into "He's Just a Runaway," a hard-rock number likely to mob dance floors. "He's Just a Runaway" gives way to "If You Really Want Me," which chugs along at midtempo, driven by handclaps, spare and jangly guitar playing and a refreshing sax break. This triad is followed by "Next Time You'll Know," a gorgeous ballad that features dynamo Kathy Sledge's best performance on the record. Side one closes with "Happy Feeling," which has a light Earth, Wind and Fire feel to it.

After "Ooh, You Caught My Heart," side two drops off precipitously in quality, mostly because of inferior material. Still, All American Girls is a fine album that shouldn't be ignored. (RS 346)

DON SHEWEY