Is" utterly overpowered the stiff, formal strengths of the group's hard rockers. "I Want to Know What Love Is," Foreigner's biggest hit, was a brilliant fluke, as much a misstep as a stride forward, because it threw the group's inner chemistry out of balance even as it tapped into its most essential energies.

That may explain why the band doesn't attempt to follow up that hit with more of the same on Inside Information. But the real surprise isn't that Foreigner avoids the obvious commercial move but that it maintains its forward progress without compromising its sound. Because even as the songs on Inside Information play off the band's iron-guitars-in-velvet arrangements, they reveal a creativity that makes such touches matter in the first place.

"The Beat of My Heart," for instance, is built around a rampaging guitar riff that hits the listener like a blow to the head. But it isn't just insta-Zep; Mick Jones's guitar playing has a sense of inspired spontaneity. "The Beat of My Heart" not only falls effortlessly into a logical verse-chorus arrangement but is subtly supported by a latticework of synthesizer and acoustic guitar that sets up a subtle secondary level of melodic interest.

Though Jones's ability to balance invention and structure sets the tone for Inside Information, it's Lou Gramm's singing that ultimately makes these songs shine. It isn't simply that he can essay the upbeat balladry of "I Don't Want to Live Without You" as easily as the throat-rending assault of "Face to Face"; the real secret to his singing is that he knows exactly how to play off the rest of the band. "Can't Wait" is an enthralling slow-burn ballad that finds him first musing petulantly, then slipping into sync with Dennis Elliott's drums as he builds intensity until finally erupting in an impassioned wail that sets up Jones's brilliantly offhand guitar solo. "Say You Will" is even more marvelously measured; Gramm's voice adjusts almost imperceptibly when the song shifts from the minorkey chorus to the major-key bridge.

Considering that Foreigner was on the verge of falling apart as little as a year before this album was released, Inside Information is a welcome and altogether pleasant surprise. Here's hoping the band's next album sounds as much like a no-sweat effort. (RS 519)

J.D. CONSIDINE