Still the voice of romance

I do not know how old Julio Iglesias is. Not that it matters. Given the contents of his new album Romantic Classics, the warmth of his Latin charm is as potent as ever. Given this I think I can rightfully say that he will always be ageless.

If I remember right, the last album we heard from Julio was My Life: Greatest Hits. This is the two-CD set where he traced his life in music with an excellent collection of songs in Spanish and English. Think To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before, Hey, All of You, Fragile, Momentos and other unforgettable recordings.

After that, I wondered what Julio would do next. Of course, given his stature, the possibilities were endless. He can do an all-Spanish album, American standards, Latin standards, duets, etc. Well, Romantic Classics, which was recently released into the market, now shows what he chose to do.

Julio decided on singing old songs, but not as old as what Rod Stewart does in his American Songbook series. Instead, he chose to record pop favorites from the rock era. The concept is not really a surprise because Julio has always been a pop balladeer, but his Romantic Classics is still an incredible delight because it has several of my favorite songs done the Julio way.

It is said that a big part of Julio’s appeal is his accent. I know that we are no strangers to Latin accents even those from younger heartthrobs like Juanes or Ricky Martin. Iglesias’ though is unique because it evokes the image of a man offering the sort of romance that makes a woman weak in the knees. Here in Romantic Classics, that devastating accent intones the lyrics of songs most of us grew up with.

Everybody’s Talking from the movie Midnight Cowboy; How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by the Bee Gees; Wham’s Careless Whisper with Dave Koz on sax; one of Elvis Presley’s most moving songs, Always on My Mind; Waiting for a Girl Like You by The Foreigner; Drive by The Cars, The Foreigners’ I Want to Know What Love Is, one of rock’s all-time great ballads; Richard Marx’s Right Here Waiting; Burt Bacharach’s This Guy’s in Love with You with Chris Botti on trumpet; Charlie Pride’s country blockbuster The Most Beautiful Girl and Perry Como’s swoony It’s Impossible.

There are two bonus tracks and Pinoys would be happy to know that these songs are done in his beguiling version of our very own Taglish. One is a new take on one of his biggest hits, Crazy. The other one is All of You. He first sang this some years ago with Diana Ross but he now performs it with Lea Salonga, who I must say sounds better than ever. Take note, lyrics and vocals for both were written and produced by Ryan Cayabyab.

It is always a big risk for artists to record their own versions of these songs because these are of recent vintage and the superb originals are still constantly played on the radio. But if there is anybody who can make these hits his own, then it is Julio Iglesias. His delivery is sweet and intimate and thanks to that distinctive accent, oozing with Latin charm.

Chris Botti’s Christmas album

Speaking of Chris Botti, here is news for all the fans of this trumpet wiz who is also an expert in conjuring up romance. His Christmas album entitled December is once more available. I grant that the sound of the trumpet is not what we usually associated with the season but Botti’s tones are so exquisite, you would enjoy listening to them during Christmas, Valentine’s Day, maybe even Lent, or whatever.

Botti performs the traditional Ave Maria, The First Noel, Silent Night and O Little Town of Bethlehem. There are also standards like The Christmas Song, Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Hallelujah, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Little Drummer Boy and I’ll Be Home for Christmas. But because I really like what happens when Botti collaborates with a sensitive vocalist, the best cut of all is the soulful I Really Don’t Want Much for Christmas with Eric Benet, whom I think we should hear more often.

As Botti says in his brief liner notes for the album, "I wish you all the best in all your Decembers." Creepy reminder, Christmas Day is only 55 days away.