POINTER SISTERS CELEBRATE CONTEMPORARY FEMALE

They grabbed the baton of inspiration from predecessors like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin, and passed it on to female groups like En Vogue, Wilson Phillips, SWV and Jade.

Now it is time for the Pointer Sisters to reflect upon the long journey that spanned two decades and savor the success. The Pointer Sisters believe they have found the right material to express that very feeling with their latest album, "Only Sisters Can Do That."

The Pointer Sisters will be at the Show Me Center Tuesday. Papa Aborigine, a local band, will open for the Pointer Sisters at 7:30 p.m. and will play for approximately 30 minutes. Tickets have been reduced to $10.50.

"We wanted to say something about women and how great they are," June Pointer said. "Women make tremendous contributions to society every day. The mothers of the inner city aren't just survivors, they're warriors. They make sure the kids have food and clothes and try to keep the family strong. Women are incredible and that's the message we want to get across."

"Only Sisters Can Do That" features the soulful harmonies of Anita, June and Ruth Pointer on 10 tunes that celebrate the contemporary female.

Musically speaking, the album marks a return to the sensibilities that launched the Pointer Sisters into national renown in 1973. Anita co-wrote the gospel-tinged "I Want Fireworks" as well as the ballad "Tell It To My Heart."

Although the group has enjoyed plenty of success since the early '70s, the constant recording and touring took its toll. Anita recalled she and her sisters being so exhausted they dozed off during interviews. Ruth reflected on the crushing solitude of the road.

"Everyone thinks this business is all glamour, but that's not the case all the time," Ruth said. "After you leave that stage you go to a hotel room by yourself. Sometimes it was very lonely and very depressing. I had to learn to do things to keep my spirits up."

From the humble beginnings of the mid 1970s to the late 1980s, the Pointer Sisters set up what seemed like permanent residence on the record charts. Bouncing back after Bonnie Pointer left in 1977, the group's popularity soared when they defected from Blue Thumb to Planet Records, operated by producer Richard Perry.

The Perry/Pointer team resulted in chart-toppers like an interpretation of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire" as well as memorable hits like "He's So Shy," "Slow Hand," "I'm So Excited," "Jump (For My Love)" and "Automatic," all of which became staples on MTV in the early 1980s. The song "Neutron Dance," the group's 1984 hit, was culled from the soundtrack to the box office hit "Beverly Hills Cop."

The Pointer Sisters finally took a break in the early 1990s, but the hiatus didn't last long. At the behest of SBK Records, the Pointer Sisters eventually returned to the recording studio and produced "Only Sisters Can Do That."

The album is a celebration of success, marking the Pointer Sisters' 20th year in the recording industry and debut on SBK Records. The album runs the musical gamut from dance-pop to emotive balladry and edgy rock'n'roll.

These musical elements became the impetus for the group's strongest statement. The title track is a case in point. The energized dance tune not only salutes the contemporary woman, it reminds listeners the Pointer Sisters had a heavy influence on contemporary music.

"We laid the ground for all the girls in town," the group sings. "We broke the doors down for female groups of today just like Ella (Fitzgerald), Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin did for us," Anita said.

The Pointer Sisters believe their current album shows they have gone back to doing what they do best. "We wanted to capture a feeling of pure, raw honesty on this album and I think we succeeded," Ruth said.

The song "Don't Walk Away" is about working things out and talking it over, June said. "If you let each other know your feelings about certain things, then maybe in the future you can approach problems with more understanding. It's a song about a woman who is trying to be heard."