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February 29, 1984

Rock/pop Irene Cara: "What a Feelin'." (Geffen/Warner Bros. GHS 4021) -- Yes, it's the Irene Cara of "Fame" and "Flashdance" with her own album, and there aren't any surprises. It's a powerful, if shallow, effort that's big on danceable music, "feeling," and insistent beat, and small on literary genius. But who wants literary genius when you have a great voice like Ms. Cara's; a producer like giorgio Moroder, who could probably write a vibrant pop tune while alligator wrestling; and the cachet of two of the biggest dance movies to hit the screen since Astaire & Rogers. She has a voice that has just the right measure of grit and sugar for this collection. At the same time, the busy beat of the LP, and its pop themes, can simultaneously be wearying -- and rousing. Rousing, if listened to in small amounts. Wearying, taken as a whole. Yet for Irene Cara, this is a strong premiere album of what she does best.