Dry, Droll, In Control : CHECK LIST****<i> Great Balls of Fire</i> ***<i> Good Vibrations</i> **<i> Maybe Baby</i> *<i> Running on Empty </i>

***VANESSA WILLIAMS. “The Right Stuff.” Wing. The notorious former Miss America uses several producers on her debut album, but Rex Salas is the one who has the best handle on the situation. He produced the title cut, and it’s the most attitude-laden, style- conscious offering on this 11-track collection. It sports a tough veneer and has a confident, attention-grabbing, Janet Jackson swagger. Elsewhere, Williams’ approach is dry, droll and in control on “Be a Man,” “If You Really Love Him” and “(He’s Got) The Look.” She turns up the sexual heat even higher on “Am I Too Much” (the answer to which is a qualified “maybe”). Of the current crop of cutie-pies cutting records these days--Pebbles, Samantha Fox and Jody Watley among them--Williams has the best voice, as she proves on the Salas-produced ballads “Can This Be Real?” and “Whatever Happens.” While Williams pours on the sex-queen image pretty heavily, the “stuff” that truly makes her distinctive is her vocal pizazz and potential.