Julio Iglesias

Part elegy to disposable '80s pop love songs, part homage to classic '60s pop, Julio Iglesias's first English-language release in more than a decade plays fast and loose with the definition of "classic." Still, the result is more than the sum of its parts: Iglesias' accented English, softer-than-flan arrangements and borderline-bizarre track choice both embody and transcend kitsch with near-Shatnerian brilliance. To hear the soft rock king tackle Wham's "Careless Whisper" or "I Want to Know What Love Is" almost beats his version of the fat Elvis warhorse "It's Impossible."