Ashford and Valerie Simpson underline the renewed joy and self-reliance that infuse her singing on The Boss.

One reason Ashford and Simpson are still Ross' ideal producers is their refusal to bow to her synthetically sweet and campy ingénue image. Going for the pop-gospel mainline, they force her to sing out over settings that are both propulsive and lush. The finest compositions here hitch nifty catch phrases to neat hooks and build them step by step into towering climaxes. If the songs don't cut deep, they're not silly either, because they almost invariably capture the nuances of romantic love one step beyond the obvious clichés.

The Boss' two big ballads, "All for One" and "I'm in the World," are beautifully crafted tear-jerkers about survival and togetherness. Both numbers become transcendent through vocal performances so warm and full and throbbingly "sincere" that the soap-opera sentimentality shines with truth. "No One Gets the Prize" and "Once in the Morning" are equally stirring pop-disco productions. And in the title track (the album's only hardcore disco song), Diana Ross lets loose with some of the most uninhibited singing of her career. (RS 297)

STEPHEN HOLDEN