Navidades

With this album, Luis Miguel is utilizing the same technique to bring all his fans a holiday album filled with Christmas Oldies.

Luis Miguel's strong, often serious voice isn't the first you'd think of to breathe life into a succession of giddy Christmas carols and holiday favorites. But the singer positively soars on Navidades, a slick collection of American classics translated into Spanish. He kicks things off with an inspired, big-band take on "Santa Claus Llego a la Ciudad" ("Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"), and the lush arrangement is indicative of the disc's classy, classic tone. Miguel emotes beautifully during "Te Deseo Muy Felices Fiestas" ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") and "Blanca Navidad" ("White Christmas"). He offers inspired takes on the sentimental "Mi Humilde Oracion" (David Foster's modern holiday gem "My Grown-Up Christmas List") and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" (an odd, if fitting, inclusion). The best, however, is a brassy, gospel-infused reworking of "Silent Night," complete with rousing chorus and blaring horns. It's a stirring, soulful disc closer, and the perfect bow on a glossy, glowing Christmas collection. --Joey Guerra