On their 28th studio album, can this harmony-happy, falsetto-voiced trio of brothers continue to make vital music?

Frankly, their latest collection, in stores Tuesday, yields mixed results. It probably will appeal only to hardcore Bee Gees fans, many of whom seem to live in Europe, where the album already is selling well.

After a promising start with the stripped-down title track, things go horribly wrong with the middle-of-the-road pop that permeates such songs as She Keeps On Coming, Wedding Day and Walking On Air -- and such overwrought balladry as The Extra Mile, originally written for the Sydney Olympic Games.

The Brothers Gibb fare better on easier-to-digest, mid-tempo numbers such as Sacred Trust, Man In The Middle, and Deja Vu, which could be a radio hit, along with the one dance song, Embrace.

While the Bee Gees' previous album, 1997's Still Waters, was made with a coterie of top producers, the band opted to self-produce this time out. While they insist they have cut back on their layered sound in an attempt to return to their earlier "rock-orchestral pop" of the late '60s, they haven't peeled back far enough.

The Bee Gees perform a Live By Request show on A&E on Friday from 9 to 11 p.m. May I suggest To Love Somebody, or How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? (More on Bee Gees)

Track Listing 1. This Is Where I Came In
2. She Keeps On Coming
3. Sacred Trust
4. Wedding Day
5. Man In The Middle
6. Deja Vu
7. Technicolor Dreams
8. Walking On Air
9. Loose Talk Costs Lives
10. Embrace
11. The Extra Mile
12. Voice In The Wilderness