In Brief : <i> Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic). : </i>

** 1/2 Cher, “Love Hurts,” Geffen. There’s something perversely appealing about Cher’s refusal to give in to her shortcomings. Cursed with an itty-bitty emotional range, she attempts to convey feeling with enough bluster to knock over a Mack truck, overpowering vocal choruses and formulaic compositions from various hit factories custom-made to provoke pathos. Somehow, she usually makes it work.