Jose Cura. "Boleros".

[] Songs by Manzanero, de la Luz, Capo, Miraski, Garrido-Lecca, Castillo. Sinfonia of London, Stratta. Texts and translations. Warner Classics 8573-85821-2

Opera-star crossover albums are usually exercises in irredeemable kitsch. Backed by overblown, syrupy orchestrations, the eager opera singer tackles Neapolitan chestnuts or Gershwin perennials or Lloyd Webber anthems in tones suited to shaking the walls of the Met. The result is bad pop, and bad classical singing.

Jose Cura falls into no such trap. He keeps a sense of proportion throughout this collection of Latin American standards, scaling his voice down to suit the intimate dimensions of the material. He seems fully aware of the presence of the mike. He gets expert support from his producers, the pop-music heavyweights Ettore Stratta (whose in-studio colleagues have included Al Jarreau and Barbra Streisand) and Jorge Calandrelli (conductor for Tony Bennett and Marcelo Alvarez, among others). They have polished Boleros to a high gloss. The arrangements are lush but not gross, with a jazz tinge that gives the proceedings a buoyant kick. Best of all, the songs, including such favorites as "Perfidio" and "Somos novios" (a.k.a. "It's Impossible"), are ...