In Brief

** Jody Watley, “Intimacy,” MCA. Watley’s shortcomings as a singer don’t generally detract from the appeal of her music. When she does some post-disco, punched-up jam, it’s easy to appreciate her efforts on a Janet Jackson-esque, less-is-more level. While her songwriting is as sharp as ever and her songs have never sounded more personal, her singing has never sounded more bland. New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).

* Times Link 808-8463 With this issue, Sunday Calendar introduces a new phone service for readers. To hear excerpts from any of the albums reviewed, call TimesLink and press * and the artist’s corresponding four-digit code. Domino *5710 Alice in Chains *5711 ZZ Top *5712 Shai *5713 Bobby Brown *5714 Mary J. Blige *5715 Das EFX *5716 Jody Watley *5717 TimesLink is available in the (213), (310), (714), (818) and (909) area codes.