*** The Cowsills

GLOBAL

(Robin)

Suppose that a quintessential '60s pop group had been jettisoned into the '90s, Austin Powers-style. That's pretty much the story here: these Cowsills are four of the same Newport-rooted siblings who did the bubblegum hits and the milk commercials in the late '60s. In recent years they've made a serious stab at new material, and these tracks were cut in 1992, before sister Susan joined the Continental Drifters full-time -- legend has it that two major labels were prepared to release the album before they found out who the band were.

Too bad, because this is a model power-pop album, warm enough to charm and tough enough to resonate, steering clear of both camp and nostalgia. Think Fleetwood Mac with stronger British Invasion leanings. Susan's vocals are the immediate grabber -- she's got the same kind of countryish purity that Linda Ronstadt had toward the start of her career -- but the album hinges equally on four-part harmonies and Bob Cowsill's songwriting. These tunes represent his longstanding quest for the perfect hook: "Rescue" and "What I Believe" sound like long-lost 1965 chart toppers. What has also endured is a noble kind of naïveté: they still believe that love and hooks can save the world -- or at least provide three minutes of emotional rescue. (You can order Global from Robin via the Web, www.robinrecords.com.)

-- Brett Milano